Gandhinagar: The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday upheld the convictions and sentences in the Ahmedabad serial blasts case, confirming the death penalty for 38 convicts and life imprisonment for 11 others.
The verdict relates to the serial bomb blasts that struck Ahmedabad on July 26, 2008. Terrorists carried out 21 explosions across the city within about 70 minutes, killing 56 people and injuring 246 others. Investigators later recovered unexploded bombs from Surat.
A special court had delivered its judgment in 2022, convicting 49 of the 78 accused while acquitting 28. The state government subsequently approached the High Court because confirmation is required before death sentences can be carried out.
A Division Bench of Justice Alpesh Kogje and Justice Sameer Dave heard nearly 248 appeals over the past two and a half years before pronouncing the final judgment.
The prosecution argued that members of the banned organisations Indian Mujahideen and SIMI conspired to carry out the attacks. The court upheld convictions under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, along with offences related to murder and criminal conspiracy.
With this ruling, the High Court confirmed the death sentence for 38 convicts and life imprisonment for 11 others in the Ahmedabad serial blasts case.
