India, July 22 -- Three decades after a blast in a bus in Rajasthan's Dausa district killed 14 people, the Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside a convict's death penalty and ordered a fresh trial by a designated court. It also acquitted a lifer and dismissed the state government's appeals against the acquittal of six persons by the high court.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sanjay Karol and Sandeep Mehta set aside the 2019 judgement of the Rajasthan High Court on death row convict Abdul Hameed citing ineffective assistance by his counsel.

Taking note of the passage of time since the May 22, 1996 blast in a bus going from Agra to Bikaner, the court directed a new trial designated by the high court chief justice. The endeavour should be t...