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9:30 pm: Was the day, site of the blast chosen carefully by bombers?
The day - Wednesday - and the site - Delhi High Court - were chosen purposefully by the bombers for maximum casualties, it would seem. It is the day of the week that is fixed for filing public interest litigations, and Gate No. 5 is the place where the litigants crowd to enter the court premises.
If the blast had taken place on any other day of the week, the casualties would certainly have been lower, said lawyers.
Wednesday is especially kept for taking up or filing public interest litigations before the bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra.
The day was fixed for hearing PILs to make it convenient for both petitioners and respondents. Earlier, varying days were given for the hearings which caused a lot of chaos, a lawyer said. Read on
9:15 pm: Police suspect attacker may be among injured or dead
A police official said investigators were not ruling out the possibility that the attackers, or at least one among them, might have injured himself or been killed in the blast.
'It may be possible that the bomb planter could not escape from the spot before the explosion took place. We are verifying and tracking all the injured and dead,' said the police officer.
9:00 pm: Delhi blast a heinous attack: Sarkozy
Terming Wednesday's blast in Delhi a 'heinous terrorist attack', French President Nicolas Sarkozy said France is on India's side in fighting the 'barbaric scourge' of terror.
'At a time when New Delhi has once again been struck by a heinous terrorist attack claiming tens of innocent victims, I would like to express my complete solidarity and heartfelt condolences on behalf of France and myself,' Sarkozy said in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
'France is at India's side during this distressing ordeal and I am more determined than ever to fight this barbaric scourge together. The combat against terrorism unites us and we shall always pursue our efforts relentlessly,' he said in a statement that was issued here.
'Please accept, Prime Minister, the assurances of my highest consideration and friendship,' Sarkozy said.
8:45 pm: Some leads to Delhi blast, says PM
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said there were 'some leads' to the Delhi High Court blast but it was too early to say which group was behind the bombing.
There were 'weaknesses' in the security system that needed to be plugged, he said while speaking to reporters on board his special aircraft while returning home after a two-day visit to Dhaka.
He said: 'Several mechanisms were put in place after the Mumbai blasts... there are weaknesses in our system, we must work hard to plug the weaknesses.'
He added that he was confident that India would win the war against terror.
'I am confident that this is a war we will and we must win,' said Manmohan Singh in reply to a query on the blast in which 11 people were killed.
8:30 pm: Can't speculate on blast: Dikshit
Appealing to people not to panic in the 'tragic moment', Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said it would not be fair to hazard a guess on the reasons behind Wednesday's bomb blast.
Asked why the Delhi High Court was targeted, Dikshit said: 'I can't be clear on that as there could be several reasons.'
8:15 pm: Security alert in Kolkata following Delhi blast
A security alert has been sounded in this West Bengal capital following the Delhi High Court blast.
Checking at the entry and exit points of the city was tightened after police received an alert.
'We have received an alert. Therefore, we are taking all types of security arrangements. Security arrangements are being tightened,' Commissioner of Police R.K. Pachnanda said.
Top police officers held a meeting chaired Director General of Police Naparajita Mukherjee to assess security situation in the city.
8:00 pm: Come in the open and fight: Anna Hazare
Anna Hazare challenged terror elements and groups to 'come out in the open and fight' rather than target innocents.
'Come out in the open and fight. Don't target innocents in this manner,' Hazare declared, expressing his sympathies for the victims of the terror attack in New Delhi.
7:45 pm: Apex court may have parliament-like security
In the wake of the bomb blast at Delhi High Court Wednesday, the Chief Justice of India S.H. Kapadia is considering a security cover for the Supreme Court on the line of parliament in order to thwart any terror attack.
Chief Justice Kapadia, who visited the blast site later in the evening, asked senior counsel and MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi to give a detailed note on the security arrangement in parliament complex and the estimated cost of putting in place a similar system in the court. Read on
7:30 pm: Plastic based deadly explosive used in Delhi blast
Terrorists may have used hard-to-detect plastic-based explosive PETN in Wednesday's Delhi High Court blast -- the same substance used in the underwear bomb plot on a 2009 Northwest Airlines Flight 253 and by the 'shoe bomber'..
Sharing details of the 'preliminary' investigations, Secretary Internal Security U.K. Bansal told reporters that traces of pentaerythritol trinitrate (PETN) have been recovered from the blast site.
'But this is the result of preliminary investigation. Rigorous investigations are in progress,' Bansal said, indicating that the explosive traces found were not conclusive. Read on
7:15 pm: NO CCTVs in Delhi court even after May blast
There are no CCTVs in the Delhi High Court complex although Delhi Police had been reprimanded by the same court for security lapses after the May 25 blast.
'After May 25, Delhi Police should have learnt a lesson and installed CCTVs at all the nine gates of the court.
'This security lapse was highlighted in May when a bomb exploded in a parking lot near Gate 7 of the court,' said Delhi bar association chairman Rakesh Tiku. More on this story
7:00 pm: PM sanctions Rs 2 lakh each for victims of Delhi blast
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sanctioned Rs 2 lakh to the families of each of those killed in the blast outside Delhi High Court, an official statement said.
Rs.1 lakh each has been sanctioned to those injured.
6:40 pm: Blood donors flock to help blast victims
Volunteers flocked to donate blood at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital where most of the victims of the Delhi High Court blast were rushed today.
'Ever since news spread that the blast victims have been brought here, we have been getting a lot of donors for blood donation,' an official of the RML hospital handling the helpline told.
'We have enough stock (of blood). So if anyone wants to donate, then they can enquire and come,' the official added.
Social networking sites like Twitter were abuzz that hospitals like RML were running short of blood.
6:20 pm: Suspects in Delhi High Court blast
6:00 pm: Delhi police release sketches of two suspects
Delhi Police on Wednesday evening released sketches of two suspects said to be behind the blast outside the Delhi High Court.
Police said one of the suspects was aged around 26, while the other was in his 50s. They added that these two suspects may have been part of a larger terrorist module of about four to five persons.
5:45 pm: Delhi High Court functions after lunch
The Delhi High Court resumed work post-lunch, barely hours after a powerful blast at Gate No.5 of the compelx left 11 dead and 76 injured.
Putting up a brave face, Secretary of the Delhi High Court Bar Association D.K. Sharma said work was resumed to send across a message.
'We are functioning normally so that a clear message goes to the public at large that we are not bogged down by the terror attack,' said Sharma.
'It is the only the symbolic hearing that is happening in the courts. I hope that the government should learn some lesson on beefing up security outside court premises,' he said.
5:30 pm: Delhi blast exposes security, intelligence loopholes
Top security experts say that blast outside the Delhi High Court has 'exposed the loopholes in our security system' which 'has an inadequate and incapable intelligence gathering system and a weak counter-terrorism mechanism'. More on this story
5:24 pm: Delhi High Court blast captured on mobile phone
