Explosions rip through courthouses in 3 cities in India

A series of explosions shook courthouses Friday in three north Indian cities, with blasts going off in Lucknow, Varanasi and Faizabad, officials said. The explosions occured nearly simultaneously

At least 12 lawyers were injured in the explosion in Varanasi, one of India's holiest cities, said Vipin Mishra, spokesman for the Home Ministry of Uttar Pradesh state, where all three cities are located.

Five people were killed in the explosion in Faizabad, CNN-IBN television reported.

The blasts all occurred inside court complexes, but not in courtrooms, Mishra said.

No other details were immediately available.

Some earlier major bombings in India:

- Aug. 25, 2007: Bombs rip through crowded public areas in the southern city of Hyderabad, killing at least 42 people.

- May 2007: A bomb at a historic Hyderabad mosque kills 11 people.

- February 2007: Bombs detonate on train headed through northern India for Pakistan, killing 68 people.

- September 2006: At least 30 people are killed and 100 injured in twin blasts at a mosque in Malegaon in western India.

- July 2006: Seven bombs on Mumbai commuter trains kill more than 200 and injure more than 700 others.

- March 2006: Twin bombings at a train station and a temple in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi kill 20 people. Kashmiri militants are blamed.

- October 2005: Three bombs placed in busy New Delhi markets one day before a major Hindu festival kill 62 people and wound hundreds. India blames Kashmiri militants.

- August 2003: Two taxis packed with explosives blow up outside a Mumbai tourist attraction and a busy market, killing 52 and wounding more than 100.

- March 1993: Muslim underworld figures tied to Pakistani militants allegedly carry out a series of bombings on Mumbai's stock exchange along with trains, hotels and gas stations in the city, killing 257 people and wounding more than 1,100.