Gujarat HC Upholds Death Sentence for 38, Life Term for 11
The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday upheld the special court verdict in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case. It confirmed the death sentence of 38 convicts and the life imprisonment of 11 others in the case related to the serial blasts that struck Ahmedabad in July 2008. In those blasts, 56 people were killed and 246 people were injured. The High Court also ordered the Gujarat government to pay compensation to victims and their families — ₹10 lakh in case of death, ₹5 lakh for grievous injuries and ₹1 lakh for simple injuries. The court directed that this compensation be paid by March 31, 2027.
The article recalls that the serial blasts took place across Ahmedabad on July 26, 2008. Two days later, bombs were also found in Surat, though those did not explode. During the investigation, the city crime branch named more than 100 people as accused. Out of them, 78 persons were put on trial. Later, in February 2022, a special court convicted 49 accused and acquitted 28 others.
Among those acquitted by the trial court were Mubin Shaikh and Mansur Pirbhoy. According to the report, they had been accused of helping hatch the conspiracy and of sending threatening emails claiming responsibility for the blasts. The trial court had also pardoned one approver, while four other approvers, who later withdrew or retracted their statements, were convicted.
The report says the 2008 Ahmedabad blasts were the first terror strike in which hospitals were targeted. It also mentions that emails allegedly sent by the accused claimed that the attack was in revenge for the 2002 post-Godhra violence in Gujarat.
The High Court bench comprised Justice AY Kogje and Justice SJ Dave. The bench heard appeals against the special court’s February 8, 2022 judgment, which reportedly ran into 7,015 pages. The High Court also heard the Gujarat government’s petition seeking confirmation of the death sentence awarded to the 38 convicts.
The trial itself was very large in scale. It was conducted after merging 35 different cases — including 20 FIRs registered in Ahmedabad for the blasts and 15 FIRs in Surat, where bombs were discovered but did not go off. The convicts were punished under several laws, including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Explosive Substances Act, and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.
Among the 49 people convicted were Safdar Nagori, a former leader of the banned outfit Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), along with his associates from 11 states, including Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh. According to the police case mentioned in the report, the accused had formed a new outfit named Indian Mujahideen (IM).
All 49 convicted persons were found guilty of serious offences such as murder, attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy, attempting to wage war against the nation, sedition, unlawful activities and terrorist activities. The report notes that during the long trial, the prosecution examined 1,163 witnesses before nine different judges. It also says there were 26 star witnesses, whose identities were kept secret for security reasons.
Source : The Times of India