Ongoing case · 2011
Ongoing case: this file carries charge-sheet facts only. Anyone charged is presumed innocent unless convicted.
The short answer
A briefcase bomb exploded outside Gate No. 5 of the Delhi High Court on 7 September 2011, killing 15 people and injuring 79; Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami claimed responsibility, citing the commutation demand for 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, and one man was later charged by the NIA.
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Suggest coverage for 2011 Delhi BombingOn 7 September 2011, at approximately 10:14 local time, an explosion occurred outside Gate No. 5 of the Delhi High Court in New Delhi, India. According to reports, explosives were placed in a briefcase at the court's reception area, a location where hundreds of people gather daily to attend court proceedings. India's Home Secretary R.K. Singh stated that the explosives were placed at the reception. A special secretary in the Home Ministry indicated that approximately two kilograms of explosives, composed of ammonium nitrate and PETN, were used. The blast killed 15 people and injured 79 others.
The attack occurred while Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was on an official state visit to Bangladesh, and came less than two months after bombings in Mumbai on 13 July 2011 that killed 26 people. A prior low-intensity blast with no reported casualties had also occurred at the same High Court, outside Gate No. 7, on 25 May 2011.
Responsibility for the attack was claimed in an email attributed to the group Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI), which is reported to have demanded that Mohammed Afzal Guru — convicted in the 2001 Indian Parliament attack — not be executed per the Supreme Court's order. Afzal Guru denied any connection to the bombing. A separate email, sent a day later to television media and attributed to the Indian Mujahideen, claimed that group carried out the attack instead of HuJI and threatened further attacks. India's Home Secretary later said it was not certain the emails came from the actual perpetrators.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the investigation and traced the HuJI email to a cyber café in Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the detention of several individuals for questioning, including the café's owner and his brother. A separate email attributed to the Indian Mujahideen was traced to an individual in Ahmedabad who confessed to sending a hoax message. On 7 October 2011, the NIA arrested a medical student from Kishtwar, whom it described as a key conspirator in the bombing, near the Indo-Bangladesh border.
In March 2012, the NIA filed a charge sheet against six individuals, including a minor. In September 2012, a special NIA court found sufficient prima facie evidence against one of the accused under provisions of the Indian Penal Code relating to criminal conspiracy, murder, and attempted murder, along with terror-related charges, while dropping charges related to waging war against the nation. Several other named individuals in the charge sheet remained absconding, and one accused turned government approver and was granted a pardon by the court.
The bombing drew condemnation from Indian political and religious leaders as well as from foreign governments and international bodies, including the United Nations, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Japan, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam.
A low-intensity blast with no reported casualties occurs at the Delhi High Court outside Gate No. 7.
Bombings occur in Mumbai, killing 26 people, less than two months before the Delhi High Court blast.
A briefcase bomb explodes outside Gate No. 5 of the Delhi High Court at 10:14 local time, killing 15 people and injuring 79.
An email attributed to the Indian Mujahideen is sent to television media, claiming responsibility and threatening further attacks.
India's Union Home Secretary states it is not certain the responsibility emails came from the actual perpetrators.
The NIA arrests Wasim Akram Malik, a medical student from Kishtwar, near the Indo-Bangladesh border, describing him as a key conspirator.
The NIA files a charge sheet against six accused, including a minor.
Two individuals, identified as Amir Ali and Mohmmad Shafi alias Sakib, are reported killed in the Trothil forest area of Kishtwar district; a Deputy Inspector General states Amir Ali was the prime accused in the blast.
A special NIA court finds sufficient prima facie evidence against Wasim Akram Malik on charges including criminal conspiracy, murder, and attempted murder, and terror charges; charges of waging war against the nation are dropped; framing of charges is set for 1 October.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
Charged and named as an accused in the NIA's March 2012 chargesheet; the main trial remains ongoing with no verdict against him.[3]
Charged and named as an accused in the NIA's March 2012 chargesheet; reported as absconding, with the main trial still ongoing and no verdict against him.[3]
Charged and named as an accused, alias Chota Hafiz, in the NIA's March 2012 chargesheet; reported as absconding, with the main trial still ongoing and no verdict against him.[3]
Charged as principal accused (chargesheeted March 2012) over the 7 September 2011 bomb blast outside Delhi High Court Gate No. 5 that killed 15 people; a Kashmiri medical student, arrested by the NIA on 7 October 2011, with a court finding a prima facie case in September 2012. As of August 2026 - nearly 15 years later - the trial was still ongoing, with the investigating officer testifying as the final prosecution witness; no verdict has been delivered and he remains in custody. A separate juvenile defendant is the only person convicted so far in the broader case.[3]
Named in the NIA's March 2012 charge sheet in the 2011 Delhi High Court bombing case, then turned government approver; the court granted him a pardon, so all charges against him were dropped and no charges remain pending.[3]
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