Jhiram Valley Maoist attack case ‘rarest of rare': court order - The Hindu

The NIA court in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, termed the 2013 Jhiram Valley Maoist attack as the “rarest of rare” and sentenced all 10 convicts to death, ruling that life imprisonment was inadequate even after considering mitigating factors. The court noted the attack was meticulously planned months in advance, linked to the South Regional Unified Command of the CPI (Maoist), and cited Supreme Court precedents to justify the death penalty.

Jhiram Valley Maoist attack case ‘rarest of rare': court order - The Hindu ## According to the September 16 verdict, the conspiracy behind the attack was finalised during a meeting of the South Regional Unified Command [of the Communist Party of India (Maoist)] held between February 16-25 in 2013 Published - September 19, 2026 03:42 am IST - RAIPUR Shubhomoy Sikdar A view of the NIA special Jagdalpur Court which delivers its verdict after thirteen years of 2013 Jhiram Ghati Naxal attack that claimed approximately 29 lives, including several Congress leaders, in Jagdalpur. | Photo Credit: ANI A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Chhattisgarh’s Jagdalpur termed the 2013 Jhiram Valley Maoist attack as “rarest of rare”, holding that even after giving utmost importance to the mitigating circumstances, no other option remained except death penalty. The court, in a release issued on Wednesday (September 16, 2026), awarded death sentences to all 10 convicts. The court said it was satisfied that life imprisonment in the case was inadequate. It referred to the Supreme Court judgments in cases such as Machhi Singh v. State of Punjab, (1983) and Mohd. Ajmal Mohammad Amir Kasab v. State of Maharashtra, (2012). Twenty seven people, including senior Congress leaders Vidya Charan Shukla, Nand Kumar Patel, and Mahendra Karma, were killed in the attack on May 25, 2013. “After comprehensively considering the aggravating and mitigating circumstances cited against the accused in the case, the Court finds this case to be the rarest of rare. Thus, considering the ent…

read it at thehindu.com