A court in Ghaziabad, that convicted Waliullah Khan on Saturday in 2006 Varanasi serial blasts case, yesterday sentenced him to death. The death penalty is now awaiting confirmation from Allahabad High Court.
Khan, who was brought to the district court from Dasna Jail, has also been slapped with life imprisonment and fines for an attempt to murder charge. His commute was made under tight security and overseen by a deputy superintendent of police.
It has been 16 years since serial bomb blasts shook the city of Varanasi. The first blast happened on the evening of March 7, 2006, inside the crowded Sankat Mochan temple. About 15 minutes later, a bomb exploded at Varanasi Cantonment railway station.
The blasts claimed lives of more than 20 people and left hundreds others injured..
The same day, a pressure cooker bomb was also found in the Dashashwamedh police station area.
Special task force that investigated the blasts, said in 2006 said that Khan, who was linked to Bangladesh-based terror outfit Harkat-ul-Jehad al-Islami, was the mastermind of the blasts.
