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On Friday, a special court in Gujarat sentenced 38 of the 49 accused in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial bombing case to death, whilst remaining 11 were sentenced to life imprisonment until death. The Ahmedabad serial blast in 2008 killed 56 people and injured nearly 200 others.

On February 8, more than 13 years after the first arrest, the special courts held 49 persons guilty of carrying out a terror attack in Ahmedabad. This is the first time in India that a trial court has handed down the total death penalty to 38 people.

The family of those killed in the blasts were also awarded compensation of Rs. 1 lakh each by the court. A.R. Patel, the special court judge, also awarded victims with serious injuries a monetary award of 50,000 rupees and victims with minor injuries a compensation of 25,000 rupees.

The prisoners were sentenced under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and the Arms Act.

According to the court’s decision, each of the 49 prisoners’ sentences would run simultaneously under each section of the IPC, the UAPA, the Explosive Substances Act, and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

The accused were found guilty under IPC Sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 121 (a) (conspiracy to wage war or attempt to wage war against the nation), and 124 (a) (sedition), as well as UAPA Section 16(1)(a)(b) (terrorist activities).

The 38 accused were sentenced under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (murder), as well as Sections 10 and 16 (1) (a) (b) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Each of the 38 people was also fined Rs 25,000 for each of the three offences.

Under IPC Section 302 and UAPA Sections 10 and 16 (1) (a) (b), the other 11 were sentenced to life in prison. They were also slammed with a Rs 25,000 penalty each.

The Indian Mujahideen (IM) claimed responsibility for the terror attack, calling it a retaliation for the 2002 riots. The police stated that IM was created by members of the SIMI, a banned organisation.

In this case, the government called nearly 1,100 witnesses. There were 26 witnesses designated as star witnesses, and the court and the government made exceptional arrangements to keep their names hidden for their safety.

2008 Ahmedabad Bombings

The 2008 Ahmedabad bombings were a series of 21 bomb blasts that occurred in Ahmedabad, India, over the course of 70 minutes on July 26, 2008. Over 200 people were injured and 56 individuals were killed.

The bombs were placed in Tiffin carriers on bicycles, following the same method as the Jaipur explosions on May 13, 2008. The city bus service of AMTS (Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service) was the target of many of the bombs, which ripped off parts of the vehicles. About 40 minutes after the original sequence of bombings, two more explosions occurred inside the premises of two hospitals.

The next day, another bomb was discovered and defused in the Hatkeshwar area. Two live bombs were also recovered in Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency of Maninagar.

These bombings occurred a day after the Bangalore blasts in the Indian state of Karnataka.

A day after the Ahmedabad bombings, Gujarat police recovered and defused two additional bombs in Surat, another major city in the state. Two cars, one parked on a roadside near a hospital and the other on the outskirts of Surat, were located containing supplies needed to build explosives, including detonators.

Several tv channels reported receiving an e-mail from the Indian Mujahideen, claiming responsibility for the attacks; however, the Islamic militant group Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami has claimed responsibility. In connection with the explosions, Gujarat police detained Mufti Abu Bashir, the accused mastermind.