2008 Ahmedabad blast case: Death penalty for 38 convicts and life sentence for 11 others by special court
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On February 8, 2022, security guards stand outside the special court in Ahmedabad.
A special court in Ahmedabad sentenced 38 of the 49 defendants in the 2008 serial bombings case to death on Friday.
The remaining 11 were sentenced to life in prison. The court convicted them on February 8 for the July 26, 2008, serial bombs in the city that killed 56 people and wounded over 200 others.
Safdar Nagori, Javed Ahmed, and Atikur Rehman were among those convicted. All were found guilty under section 16 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which deals with terrorism, as well as sections 302 (murder) and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (criminal conspiracy). They were also found guilty under IPC sections 307 (attempt to kill), 121-A (conspiracy to wage war or try to wage war against the nation), and 124-A (sedition), as well as the Explosive Substances Act and the Damage to Public Property Act.
In the decision, issued 13 years after the horrific bombings, special judge AR Patel acquitted 28 other defendants, granting them the benefit of the doubt.
On July 26, 2008, 20 bombs exploded in different districts of Ahmedabad within 70 minutes, killing 56 people and injuring 246 others. The authorities stated that members of the terror group Indian Mujahideen (IM) were engaged in the explosives, and that they were planned as retaliation for the post-Godhra riots in 2002.
