NEW DELHI, Dec 6: On Friday, the Supreme Court granted bail to eight individuals convicted in the notorious 1987 Hashimpura massacre, where 38 people lost their lives at the hands of Provincial Armed Constabulary personnel.
A bench consisting of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih acknowledged the arguments presented by senior advocate Amit Anand Tiwari, representing four of the convicts. Tiwari asserted that the individuals have endured extended imprisonment since the Delhi High Court overturned their initial acquittal by the trial court.
The Hashimpura massacre took place on May 22, 1987, when members of the 41st Battalion’s ‘C-Company’ of the Provincial Armed Constabulary allegedly rounded up about 50 Muslim men from Hashimpura, a neighborhood in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, amidst rising communal tensions.
The victims were transported to the outskirts of the city, where they were executed, and their bodies disposed of in a canal.
This tragic event resulted in the deaths of 38 individuals, with only five survivors remaining to tell their harrowing stories.
During the hearing on Friday, Tiwari argued on behalf of four appellants—Sami Ullah, Niranjan Lal, Mahesh Prasad, and Jaipal Singh—stressing that they have been incarcerated for over six years following the High Court’s decision.
He emphasized that the appellants had previously been acquitted by the trial court and that their behavior throughout the trial and the appeals process had been commendable.
Additionally, it was contended that the High Court’s reversal of the trial court’s credible acquittal was based on incorrect reasoning.
The court considered these arguments and granted bail to the eight convicts whose pleas were pending. (PTI)
