Tags:
Journalism of Courage
The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the death sentence of Jamiluddin Nasir,one of the seven convicted in connection with the attack on the Kolkata American Center,in January 2002.
A three-judge Bench of Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan,Justices Deepak Verma and B S Chauhan admitted the appeal of Nasir and put on hold the Kolkata High Court verdict of February 6,2010. The attack on the Centre claimed the lives of six policemen and injured 14 others on January 22,2002.
The brain behind the siege was a Dubai-based don,Aftab Ansari,who was arrested in Dubai and sentenced to death by a Sessions court three years later in April 2005.
A Division Bench of Justices Ashim Banerjee and Kalidas Mukherjee had upheld the death sentence to the duo after a 77-day hearing. They were charged under Sections 121 (waging war against the state),121A (conspiracy),302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 27(3) of the Arms Act.
Two motorcycle-borne terrorists had opened fire from their AK-47 and AK-56 assault rifles on policemen guarding the American Center,killing five of them on the spot and injuring 15 others. Another policeman succumbed to injuries at the hospital later.
