New Delhi, 23 June (H.S.):

The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the Delhi High Court's order directing the release of Mohammad Rashid Khan, a convict in the 1993 Bowbazar bomb blast case. A vacation bench headed by Justice P.K. Mishra passed the order while hearing a petition filed by the West Bengal government. The Court also issued a notice to Rashid Khan.

The Delhi High Court had earlier ordered Khan's release and granted him remission in his sentence. In its petition before the Supreme Court, the West Bengal government contended that Rashid Khan was the mastermind behind the bomb blast and that the incident had a profound impact on society.

On June 5, the Delhi High Court directed that Rashid Khan be released, observing that he had spent more than 33 years in prison and that his conduct during incarceration justified his release on rehabilitative grounds. The High Court held that the objectives of punishment had been fulfilled after more than three decades of imprisonment and ordered that he be released immediately, provided he was not required to remain in custody in connection with any other case.

Rashid Khan has remained in prison in connection with the case since 1993.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar