Bodh Gaya blasts: All five accused awarded life imprisonment

An NIA court on Friday awarded life imprisonment to all the five persons earlier convicted in the 2013 serial blasts that rocked Bodh Gaya's Mahabodhi temple, a lawyer said.

Judge Manoj Kumar Sinha, presiding over the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court, had in May convicted Umer Siddiqui, Azharuddin Siddiqui, Hauser Ali, Mujibullah Ansari, and Imtitaz Ansari.

The life imprisonment is the maximum punishment that could be given in the case, NIA lawyer Lalan Kumar Sinha told reporters here.

The NIA chargesheet had said that the blasts on July 7, 2013, were carried out with the motive to kill domestic and foreign pilgrims, especially Buddhists, at the temple to create terror.

As many as 13 bombs were planted at the Bodh Gaya Temple, out of which around 10 exploded. Three live bombs were defused later by security forces. Five persons, including two monks, were injured in the blasts.

The Bodh Gaya temple is a UNESCO World Heritage site, where the Buddha attained enlightenment around 2,500 years ago.