The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday upheld the 2022 verdict of a special court that sentenced 38 convicts to death and 11 others to life imprisonment in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case.
A division bench comprising Justices A. Y. Kogje and Samir Dave dismissed all appeals challenging the convictions and sentences, affirming the punishments awarded to those found guilty in one of India's deadliest terror attacks.
On July 26, 2008, Ahmedabad witnessed a coordinated series of 21 bomb blasts across different parts of the city within about 70 minutes.
The attacks claimed 56 lives and left more than 200 people injured. Several of the explosions targeted hospitals where victims from the earlier blasts were being taken for treatment, intensifying the impact of the terror attack. Investigators linked the conspiracy to members of the banned terror outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM).
In February 2022, a special court in Ahmedabad had convicted 49 accused after a lengthy trial.
The trial court ruled that the case fell within the "rarest of rare" category and awarded:
Death sentence to 38 convicts
Life imprisonment to 11 convicts
With Tuesday's judgment, the Gujarat High Court has upheld both the convictions and the sentences, rejecting every appeal filed by the convicted individuals.
The High Court also directed the Gujarat government to provide compensation to the victims and their families:
₹10 lakh to the family of each deceased victim
₹5 lakh to those who suffered grievous injuries
₹1 lakh to those who sustained simple injuries in the blasts
The Ahmedabad serial blasts case remains one of India's largest terror trials. The investigation involved multiple agencies and years of legal proceedings before the special court delivered its verdict in 2022.
With the Gujarat High Court's decision, the convictions and punishments awarded to all 49 convicts have now been upheld, marking another significant milestone in the long-running legal process.