Supreme Court Justice Sandeep Mehta has withdrawn from overseeing the appeal lodged by the State of Rajasthan challenging the exoneration of individuals implicated in the 2008 Jaipur bomb blasts. Alongside Justice B.R. Gavai, Justice Mehta was part of the division bench.

The bombings on May 13, 2008, resulted in 71 fatalities and 185 injuries. Initially, the trial court convicted four individuals, sentencing them to death. However, in March of the previous year, the Rajasthan High Court overturned the convictions, citing significant flaws in the investigation and asserting that one of the accused was a minor at the time of the offense.

Both the State and the victims filed separate appeals against the acquittal in the Supreme Court. On May 17, 2023, the Court declined to impose an absolute stay on the High Court's decision while hearing the State's appeal, instead releasing the accused under specific conditions.

Recently, on December 8, the Supreme Court dismissed a Special Leave Petition filed by the State of Rajasthan, contesting the High Court's ruling that one of the convicts was a juvenile at the time of the incident. Justice Mehta, who joined the Supreme Court in November of the previous year, hails from the Rajasthan High Court, the court that rendered the contentious decision.

Case: THE STATE OF RAJASTHAN vs. SAIFURREHMAN ANSARI,

Diary No.- 26084 - 2023.