Five accused in Bodh Gaya blasts case convicted
Patna, May 25 : A Bihar court on Friday convicted all the five accused in the 2013 serial blasts that rocked Bodh Gaya's Mahabodhi temple.
The special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court headed by Judge Manoj Kumar Sinha delivered the verdict.
"The five persons -- Umer Siddiqui, Azharuddin Siddiqui, Hauser Ali, Mujibullah Ansari, Imtitaz Ansari -- were convicted by the court after the hearing was completed," NIA lawyer Lalan Kumar Sinha told reporters here.
The court will pronounce the quantum of sentence on May 31.
The NIA said the blasts on July 7, 2013, were carried out with an intention to kill domestic and foreign pilgrims, especially Buddhists in order to create terror at a place of worship.The blasts injured five people including two monks. No casualties were reported.
The Bodh Gaya temple is a Unesco World Heritage site. The Buddha attained enlightenment around 2,500 years ago.
As many as 13 bombs were planted, out of which nine or 10 exploded while three live bombs were defused.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
