Explosives Act, 1884

The appellant, Mohammed Ajmal Mohammad Amir Kasab, was one of ten Pakistani terrorists who launched a coordinated attack on Mumbai on November 26, 2008, killing 166 people and injuring 238. He was convicted by the trial court on multiple charges including waging war against the Government of India, murder, and terroris…

The petitioners, three infants represented by their fathers, sought a ban on firecrackers and related explosives in Delhi/NCR, alleging severe health hazards from air pollution, especially during Diwali. The Court examined the constitutional balance between the right to health (Art.21) and the commercial (Art.19(1)(g))…

The Supreme Court reviewed a series of criminal appeals arising from the 1993 Bombay serial blasts, all tried under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, 1987 (TADA). The appeals concerned convictions for offences such as unauthorised possession of arms and explosives (s.3(3), s.5, s.6 TADA), conspi…

On March 12, 1993, a series of 12 bomb explosions occurred in Bombay, killing 257 people and injuring 713, with property damage worth Rs. 27 crores. The conspiracy was hatched by Tiger Memon and Dawood Ibrahim, with Yakub Abdul Razak Memon (A-1) playing a key role. The Designated Court convicted 100 accused, sentencing…

The Supreme Court of India disposed of multiple appeals arising from the 1993 Bombay serial bomb blasts, which killed 257 people and injured 713. The Designated Court under TADA had convicted numerous accused, sentencing most to life imprisonment. On appeal, the Supreme Court examined the evidence, including confession…

The Supreme Court of India delivered a consolidated judgment on multiple appeals arising from the 1993 Bombay serial blasts case under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, 1987 (TADA). The appeals challenged convictions and acquittals of various accused persons involved in the conspiracy, landing, …

The Supreme Court examined 19 appeals filed by the State of Maharashtra against acquittals in the 1993 Bombay serial bomb blast case, focusing on conspiracy charges under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) and the Indian Penal Code. It reiterated the limited circumstances in which an appell…

The Supreme Court examined a series of appeals arising from the Designated Court's judgments in the 1993 Bombay bomb blast case under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, 1987 (TADA). The Court held that confessional statements recorded under Section 15 of TADA are substantive evidence admissible a…

The State of Rajasthan appealed against a High Court order that had discontinued criminal proceedings in Dholpur under Section 186 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), on the ground that the same offence was already being tried in courts at Sagar and Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh. The three FIRs (No. 161/2010, 310/2010…

The case concerned two separate prosecutions arising from the July 2006 Mumbai suburban train bomb blasts. In Special Case No. 21 of 2006, the accused‑respondents sought to summon four Deputy Commissioners of Police (who had recorded confessional statements of three other accused in a later Special Case No. 4 of 2009) …

The appellant Yanab Sheikh was convicted for murdering Samim Ali by throwing a bomb, under IPC s.302 and the Indian Explosives Act s.9(b)(ii). The prosecution’s case rested on eyewitness statements and forensic evidence. The appellant challenged the conviction on five grounds, chiefly that the police entry recorded as …

The Supreme Court heard an application for modification of its November 2016 interim order that had suspended all licences for the sale of fireworks in the National Capital Region (NCR) after severe air‑pollution following Diwali 2016. Petitioners – fireworks manufacturers and suppliers – argued that a total ban was di…

The petitioners filed a writ petition under Article 32 seeking emergency relief from the severe air‑pollution in the National Capital Region caused by the widespread use of fireworks during Diwali and the marriage season. They alleged that the pollution breached fundamental rights, especially the right to life and heal…

The Supreme Court examined the appeal of sixteen accused convicted under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) for a series of bomb blasts on Indian trains in December 1993. The Court held that Section 20A(1) of TADA makes prior approval of the District Superintendent of Police an absolute pre…

The Supreme Court considered several interim applications challenging the suspension of licences for the sale of fireworks in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) that had been ordered to curb air pollution during Diwali. Petitioners sought a restoration of the complete suspension, while manufacturers and licenc…

The appellants Abubucker Siddique and others were convicted for a bomb blast that destroyed the RSS headquarters, based largely on confessional statements and the allegation that they procured gelatin sticks and detonators. The prosecution claimed the bomb was made of ROX and PETN, but forensic analysis showed no trace…

Abu Salem, an accused in the 1993 Bombay bomb blasts, was extradited from Portugal to India in 2005 on the assurance that he would not face the death penalty or imprisonment beyond 25 years. After his return, the Designated Court framed additional charges beyond those covered by the extradition, which Abu Salem argued …

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sought to add charges of murder and other offences against Karimullah Osan Khan, an accused in the 1993 Bombay bomb blasts, under Section 216 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). The Designated Court under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) rej…