AHMEDABAD: Bringing closure to one of the deadliest terror attacks in Gujarat's history, the Gujarat High Court on Tuesday upheld a sessions court verdict in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts case, confirming the death penalty for 38 convicts and life imprisonment for 11 others.
A division bench of Justices AY Kogje and Samir Dave dismissed all appeals filed by the convicted accused while allowing the Gujarat government's plea seeking confirmation of the death sentences awarded by the trial court in February 2022.
The High Court also ordered the Gujarat government to pay Rs 10 lakh to the families of those killed, Rs 5 lakh to survivors who were seriously injured and Rs 1 lakh to those who sustained minor injuries. The compensation must be paid on or before March 31, 2027.
The verdict comes nearly 18 years after 21 coordinated bomb blasts ripped through 20 locations across Ahmedabad on July 26, 2008, killing 56 people and injuring more than 200.
The explosions targeted crowded public places and hospitals, triggering one of the country's most extensive terror investigations.
The case remains one of India's biggest criminal prosecutions.
Of the 78 accused who stood trial, a sessions court in Ahmedabad convicted 49, acquitted 29, sentenced 38 to death and awarded life imprisonment until natural death to 11 others.
Following the judgment, the state government sought confirmation of the death sentences before the High Court, while 48 convicted accused challenged their conviction and sentence through separate appeals.
The investigation was unprecedented in scale. Police registered 35 FIRs, filed 548 charge sheets, produced around 6,000 documentary and material exhibits, and examined 1,163 witnesses during the trial.
The sessions court ultimately delivered a judgment running to nearly 7,000 pages, while the complete paper book reportedly exceeded 7.88 lakh pages, making it one of the largest criminal case records in India.
According to the High Court verdict, the 38 convicts whose death sentences have now been confirmed are Sarfuddin Salim (Hyderabad); Saifur Rehman, Mohammad Tanveer, Zeeshan Ahmed, Ziaur Rehman, Mohammad Shakeel Luhar, Mufti Abubasar Sheikh, Mohammad Arif and Mohammad Saif Sheikh (Uttar Pradesh); Saduli A. Karim and Sibley A. Karim (Kerala); Amin Sheikh and Mohammad Mobin (Madhya Pradesh); Kamaruddin Chand Mohammad Nagori, Amil Parvez and Safdar Nagori (Ujjain); Mohammad Akbar, Fazle Rehman and Asif Sheikh (Pune); Ahmedbawa Barelvi and Hafiz Hussain (Karnataka); Afzar Usmani and Mohammad Arif (Mumbai); Mohammad Sajid (Bharuch); Abbas Sameja (Bhuj); Mohammad Usman, Qayamuddin Kapadia, Imran Ibrahim and Iqbal Kasam (Vadodara); and Javed Sheikh, Mohammad Ismail, Yunus Mansoori, Zahid Sheikh, Shamsuddin Sheikh, Gyasuddin Ansari and Mohammad Kagzi (Ahmedabad).
The 11 convicts whose life sentences have been upheld are Atiqur Rehman, Mehndi Hasan Ansari and Imran Ahmed Pathan (Rajasthan); Rafiuddin Kapadia (Bharuch); Anik Khaliq Syed (Pune); Mohammad Naushad Syed (Karnataka); Mohammad Ali Ansari, Mohammad Safiq Ansari and Mohammad Abrar Maniyar (Madhya Pradesh); Mohammad Ansar Nadvi (Kerala); and Mohammad Sadiq Sheikh (Mumbai).
All the convicted persons were found guilty under multiple provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including charges of murder and criminal conspiracy, as well as stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Explosive Substances Act, the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, the Information Technology Act and the Arms Act.
Speaking after the verdict, State counsel Amit Patel said the prosecution had placed extensive evidence before the High Court establishing the larger conspiracy behind the coordinated terror attacks and the role played by each of the convicted accused.
Patel said the trial court had earlier awarded the death penalty to 38 accused and life imprisonment to 11 others, and the High Court has now confirmed those punishments after examining the prosecution's evidence in detail.
He added that although the complete judgment was yet to be uploaded, the court had accepted the prosecution's case regarding the conspiracy and confirmed the capital punishment awarded by the sessions court.
He further stated that the High Court had also ordered enhanced compensation for the victims' families and injured survivors, directing the state government to ensure payment within the stipulated timeline.
According to Patel, the government's immediate responsibility would now be to implement the compensation order and take further legal steps in accordance with the judgment.
Anticipating the sensitivity of the verdict, more than 120 police personnel, including officers from the Crime Branch, local police, the State Reserve Police Force and senior officials led by a DCP, were deployed to maintain law and order. Teams from the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad carried out anti-sabotage checks across the premises, while videography arrangements were also made.
Additionally, three Crime Branch police inspectors and two local police inspectors were deployed to strengthen security at the court during the pronouncement of the verdict.