Delhi parliament attack pair freed

The High Court in Delhi has overturned the conviction of a college teacher sentenced to death for helping to plan a deadly attack on the Indian parliament nearly two years ago.

Afzal (left), Hussain (right, in cap) and Geelani at earlier hearings

A woman sentenced to five years in prison for failing to report the plot also had her conviction thrown out.

However, two Kashmiri Muslims previously handed the death penalty for their roles had their sentences upheld.

Nine people were shot dead when five gunmen burst into the grounds of the parliament in December 2001. The gunmen were also killed.

The High Court ruled that prosecution evidence against Professor Syed Abdul Rahman Geelani, a Delhi college teacher, and Navjot Sandhu, the wife of one of the men still sentenced to death, was insufficient.

The court rejected the appeals of her husband, Shaukat Hussain Guru, and Mohammed Afzal, who had been convicted of waging war on the state and conspiracy to murder.

They were accused of membership of the Kashmiri militant group, Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Further appeals

After the ruling, Professor Geelani's lawyer, Ram Jethmalani, told the Press Trust of India: "This verdict will restore the confidence of the entire world, particularly the inhabitants of Jammu and Kashmir, in the integrity and competence of the Indian judicial system."

The four earlier sentences, handed down in December last year, were the first under India's tough new Prevention of Terrorism Act

Fourteen people died, including the five gunmen, in the attack

A further round of appeals, to the Supreme Court, is possible.

The prosecution can appeal against the rulings in favour of Professor Geelani and Ms Sandhu, while Afzal and Hussain can try again to have their convictions reversed.

The High Court ruled on Wednesday that the prosecution had not done enough to link Professor Geelani to the five gunmen, while Ms Sandhu's lawyers successfully argued the evidence against her was invalid.

Of prosecution evidence about alleged phone calls between the professor and one of the two convicted plotters, the ruling said: "This circumstance, in our opinion, does not even remotely, far less definitely and unerringly, point towards the guilt of the accused SAR Geelani."

About 300 MPs and government leaders were in the parliament building when it was attacked.

The gunmen were killed before they could enter the building.

India claimed Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence agency was behind the attack.

Pakistan condemned the raid and denied involvement.

After the attack, the nations mobilised up to a million men along their common border, leading to international concern about a possible war.

The tension has eased recently with an exchange of ambassadors, the resumption of a Delhi-Lahore bus service and further Indian proposals to improve ties.