Delhi High Court denies bail to Mansoor Ashgar Peerbhoy in 2008 Delhi serial blasts case

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday denied bail to the alleged Indian Mujahideen operative Mansoor Asghar Peerbhoy in the 2008 Delhi serial blasts case.

A Division Bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Madhu Jain said that Peerbhoy is stated to be the head of the media cell of the Indian Mujahideen and, according to prosecutors, was centrally involved in the transmission of an email titled 'Message of Death' just minutes before the blast, claiming responsibility for the attack.

"Such a level of coordination, planning and logistics was possible only through the deployment of skilled technology, and the appellant [Peerbhoy] was, prima facie, at the centre of it," the Court observed.

It added that the offence alleged is of a grave nature and the serial blasts in the national capital led to the death of 26 people and injuries to over 100.

Therefore, it rejected his appeal against a trial court order of July 19, 2025 denying him bail.

A detailed order is awaited.

Peerbhoy, a software engineer, was named by investigators as a key member of the banned Indian Mujahideen in the investigation into the September 13, 2008, Delhi serial blasts.

According to the Delhi Police chargesheet, Peerbhoy's primary role was not in planting the bombs but in providing technological support to the conspiracy. Investigators alleged that minutes before the explosions, Peerbhoy drafted and sent emails to media organisations claiming responsibility for the blasts. This was done exploiting unsecured Wi-Fi networks to conceal the senders' identities.

Police also accused him of helping create and manage the group's online propaganda and communication infrastructure.

Notably, he was arrested by the Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in October 2008. He was later taken into custody by the Delhi Police Special Cell.

He was subsequently chargesheeted under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Explosive Substances Act and the Information Technology Act.

Advocates Mehmood Pracha, Sanawar, Jatin Bhatt, Kshtij Singh and Sikander Raza appeared for Mansoor Asghar Peerbhoy.

Delhi Police was represented through Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) Ritesh Kumar Bahri as well as advocates Divya Yadav and Lalit Luthra.