Delhi serial blasts: Tariq Ahmed Dar cannot walk out of prison yet

Tariq Ahmed Dar was sentenced to ten years imprisonment by a Delhi court on Thursday, which he has already served having been in prison as his trial dragged on for 12 years. Dar, however, was unlikely to be released from prison as a case under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) was pending against him.

Dar’s counsel Satish Tamta expressed confidence that Dar would not have to stay in Tihar prison for long as the maximum punishment under the PMLA act is of seven years. Dar has already served more than 11 years behind bars after his arrest in the case.

Tamta will file a bail application for Dar’s release on Friday. The PMLA case too is related to the 2005 serial bomb blast, in which a complaint was filed in 2008 alleging that Dar received foreign funding for carrying out terrorist activities, Tamta said.

Sources said there was another case under the Arms Act registered against Dar in Jammu and Kashmir. If convicted, Dar will face a maximum of two years of imprisonment in the case.

In the 2005 serial blasts, which claimed 67 lives, police said Tariq Ahmed Dar was a part of conspiracy leading directly to the blasts that took place on October 29, 2005. Police had told the court that Dar had received around Rs 14 lakh as hawala money for carrying out the blasts.

The court convicted Tariq Ahmed Dar for offences punishable under Section 38 (being the member of a terror organisation) and Section 39 (giving support to such outfit) of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), but did not find any evidence regarding his role in the blasts.

The serial blasts at three places - Sarojini Nagar, Paharganj and Kalkaji — on October 29, 2005 left 67 dead and injured over 225 persons.

Observing that no conclusive evidence was found against Dar about his alleged role in the blasts, the court acquitted him of the charges of conspiracy to wage a war against the country by carrying out the blasts.

Dar was working as a sales representative of a multinational firm when he was arrested by Delhi Police’s special cell from Srinagar on November 10, 2005. A father of two girls, Dar was returning from work when four men in civilian clothes stopped him and whisked him away before formally arresting him.