The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday upheld the 2022 order of the special court that sentenced 38 convicts to death and 11 others to life imprisonment in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts, which killed 56 people and injured 246 people.
On 26 July 2008, a series of 21 bomb blasts occurred at 20 locations in Ahmedabad within 70 minutes. Two days later, live bombs were recovered from Surat. The city’s crime branch announced that more than 100 people were accused, while 78 people were put on trial.
A division bench of Justice IY Kogi and Justice SJ Dave heard the appeals against the 7,015-page judgment of the special court and the state government’s appeal seeking confirmation of the death sentences of 38 convicts.
The trial was conducted by collecting 35 cases, including 20 FIRs registered in Ahmedabad related to the blasts and 15 FIRs in Surat where the bombs did not explode. The convicts were convicted under the Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosive Substances Act and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.
The prosecution questioned 1,163 witnesses during the trial, which was heard by nine judges over the years. The identities of 26 key witnesses remained secret for security reasons.
The Supreme Court also ordered the Gujarat government to pay compensation $10 thousand to the families of the dead $5 lakh for victims who suffered serious injuries and $1 lakh for those who sustained minor injuries. Compensation must be paid by March 31, 2027.
Read also:The ATS in Gujarat has arrested eight people on charges of alleged JeM terror conspiracy
The compensation is considered much higher than the amounts ruled by the Special Court in 2022, which it set at an amount $1 thousand per death $50,000 for serious injuries and $25,000 for minor injuries.
On February 8, 2022, a special court convicted 49 defendants and acquitted 28 others.
Among those acquitted were Mubin Sheikh and Mansoor Peerbhoy, who were accused of conspiring in the attacks and sending emails claiming the attacks were carried out in retaliation for the 2002 post-Godhra violence in Gujarat.
One defendant was pardoned after becoming a consenter, while four other consenters who recanted their statements were later convicted.
The 49 convicts, including former Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) leader Safdar Nagori and his associates from 11 states, including Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh, were convicted for their role in the conspiracy behind the bombings. The prosecution claimed that the accused regrouped under the banner of the Indian Mujahideen.
These explosions represent the first terrorist attack in India targeting hospitals. The 2022 special court order was also the first time an Indian court had awarded death penalty to as many as 38 convicts in a single case.
