New Delhi, August 27
Babbar Khalsa militant Jagtar Singh Hawara, a key accused in the former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh assassination case, was today chargesheeted by the Delhi police along with seven others for the May 22 twin cinema blasts in Delhi that had claimed the life of a person and caused injuries to 55 others.

The Delhi police Special Cell, which completed the investigations in a record three months time, submitted the charge sheet against Hawara and seven other accused in the court of Duty Magistrate Paramjit Singh, charging them of hatching a well thought of conspiracy aimed at triggering the blasts in Capital’s Liberty and Satyam cinema halls with a motive to cause loss to human lives and to spread panic.

Besides, Hawara, who carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh, the other accused named in the chargesheet are Jaspal Singh, Jagannath Yadav, Balvinder Singh, Vikas Singhal, Ajit Raj, Bishan Lal and Joginder Kumar.

They have been charged under Section 121 (waging war against the country), Section 122 (collecting arms for this purpose), Section 123 (concealing the conspiracy to wage war against the nation), Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC and under the Explosive Substance Act, Arms Act and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

If the charges are proved, under these sections, the accused could even be awarded the capital punishment.

In a sensational jail break Hawara had escaped from Burail jail, near Chandigarh along with three others, including two of his alleged accomplices in the Beant Singh assassination case, by digging a tunnel from their prison cell.

Hawara, at present in judicial custody with the Punjab police at Chandigarh, was arrested by a team of Delhi police Special Cell in dramatic circumstances on June 8 during the investigation into the cinema blast case from Punjab.

His other accomplices were held from Punjab and some other places following his arrest. The twin blasts triggered almost simultaneously on the night of May 22 was a major incident in the Capital in recent years.

The chargesheet was filed on the last day of mandatory 90-day period today before the Duty Magistrate because of the holiday as Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, hearing the case, was not holding the court.

The arrest of Hawara, whom Punjab police desperately needed in connection with August 31, 1995 assassination of Beant Singh in a car bomb blast in the Secretariat at Chandigarh and in connection with the Burail jailbreak, was a major success for the Delhi police when they located his hideout in Patiala.

The police had claimed to have recovered 10.3 kg of RDX four pistols, 207 cartridges, a hand grenade, timer detonators from the possession of Hawara when held by the police.