Hyderabad, Nov. 20 -- A Muslim man jailed in connection with the Gaziabad bus blast case of 1996, has been acquitted by the Allahabad High Court after 28 years.

In 1997, the man identified as Mohammed Ilyas was jailed for Modingar- Gaziabad bus blast that killed 18 people. In June 1997, Ilyas was picked up from his residence in Ludhiana, Punjab.

On November 10, a division bench of the Allahabad High Court comprising Justices Siddharth and Ram Mnohar Narayan Mishra set aside the conviction.

According to reports, the bench noted that the prosecution had "miserably failed" to establish Ilyas's alleged role in the attack. The judges said they were passing the acquittal "with a heavy heart", acknowledging the blast as a "terrorist" act that...