Patna, Sep 11 (Reporter) Patna High Court on Wednesday commuted the death sentence of four convicts to 30-year-imprisonment in the 2013 serial blasts ahead of a rally that was to be addressed by then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi at the Gandhi Maidan here. A division bench of Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Jitendra Kumar while disposing of a petition filed in this connection, commuted the death sentence of the four convicts to 30 years imprisonment. The capital punishment was earlier given by a lower court in 2021. The HC upheld the life imprisonment awarded to two other accused by the lower court in the case. The division bench observed, "All four appellants are persons of young age with no established trans-border contacts. Their conduct in jail has also not been brought on record. While they were in custody, nothing came to light that would indicate that they had made it difficult for the investigators to perform with ease. There was no attempt by the appellants at provoking their kindred to take any retaliatory action" "We differ with the assessment of the Trial Court, and find that a sentence of fixed term of 30 years would suffice and would meet the ends of justice for the four convicts on whom death sentence has been imposed", the bench noted. The bench upheld the life sentence of two other convicts Mohammad Umer Siddiqui and Azharuddin Qureshi, earlier awarded by the lower court. As it is, a “Hunkar Rally” was organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party at Gandhi Maidan, Patna on October 27, 2013, in which Modi was slated to be the principal speaker. At about 9-30 a.m. a bomb exploded at the Sulabh Sauchalaya, a public facility adjoining platform No:-10 of Patna Junction Railway Station. After about two hours at 11.40 A.M., another blast was reported at Gandhi Maidan, Patna at the rally venue. This was shortly followed by five more blasts successively. Six people were killed and more than 80 others were injured in the serial blasts. Initially, the case was investigated by Bihar police and later handed over to National Investigation Agency (NIA). All convicts were found to be associated with terror outfit Indian Mujahideen and the Students Islamic Movement of India(SIMI)...////...