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2008 Ahmedabad Serial Blasts: Gujarat High Court Upholds Death Penalty for 38 Convicts
The Gujarat High Court has delivered a landmark judgment in the 2008 Ahmedabad Serial Blasts, upholding the death sentences awarded to 38 convicts and the life imprisonment of 11 others.
Rejecting all appeals filed by the convicts, the High Court affirmed the verdict of the trial court, which had convicted 49 accused in one of India’s deadliest terror cases. Security around the High Court was significantly tightened ahead of the judgment, with bomb squads and a heavy police presence deployed across the court premises.
Rejecting all appeals filed by the convicts, the High Court affirmed the verdict of the trial court, which had convicted 49 accused in one of India’s deadliest terror cases. Security around the High Court was significantly tightened ahead of the judgment, with bomb squads and a heavy police presence deployed across the court premises.
2008 Blasts That Shook Ahmedabad
On July 26, 2008, a series of coordinated bomb explosions ripped through Ahmedabad. A total of 21 blasts occurred across 20 locations, killing 56 people and injuring more than 200 others.
In 2022, the Ahmedabad City Sessions Court sentenced 38 accused to death and 11 to life imprisonment, a verdict widely described as one of the largest mass-conviction judgments in India’s judicial history.
The case involved 78 accused in total. Of them, 49 were convicted, while 29 were acquitted due to lack of evidence.
The case involved 78 accused in total. Of them, 49 were convicted, while 29 were acquitted due to lack of evidence.
Compensation for Victims
Along with upholding the sentences, the High Court directed compensation for the victims of the blasts.
- Rs.5 lakh for those who suffered serious injuries.
- Rs.1 lakh for those who sustained minor injuries.
The court has set March 31, 2027 as the deadline for disbursing the compensation. ALSO READ: 8 Suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed Terrorists Arrested by Gujarat ATS
Convicts May Approach Supreme Court
After the trial court’s judgment, the Government of Gujarat sought confirmation of the death sentences before the High Court, while the convicts challenged their convictions and punishments.
With the High Court now affirming the trial court’s decision, the convicts’ final legal remedy is to appeal before the Supreme Court of India. If such appeals are filed, the matter will next be heard by the country’s highest court.
