2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts: HC upholds death sentence for 38 IM operatives, life term for 11

Ahmedabad, Jul 7 (PTI) The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday upheld a special court verdict in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case, confirming death sentences to 38 operatives of Indian Mujahideen and life imprisonment to 11 others, directing the government to compensate the kin of victims, including 56 people who lost their lives. The special court's February 2022 order marked the first time that so many convicts had been handed down the death sentence by any court at one go. The convicts include Safdar Nagori, former leader of the banned outfit Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), and his associates. A lawyer representing the convicts said they will definitely challenge the HC's order after studying the judgment. A division bench of justices A Y Kogje and Samir Dave directed the Gujarat government to pay compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the families of those killed in the serial blasts and Rs 5 lakh to grievously injured people. The bench rejected all appeals against the special court's order and confirmed the sentences awarded to the members of the terror outfit. On July 26, 2008, a series of 21 bomb blasts ripped through different parts of Ahmedabad within 70 minutes, killing 56 people and injuring more than 200. Explosions also struck hospitals where victims from other blast sites were rushed for treatment, marking the first known instance of hospitals being targeted in such an attack. Seventy-eight persons were put on trial before the special court, of whom 49 were convicted in February 2022. The trial was conducted after merging 35 police cases, including 20 FIRs registered in Ahmedabad for the 21 blasts and 15 in Surat, where bombs planted by the terrorists failed to explode. Among those convicted were former SIMI leader Nagori and his associates from 11 states, including Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh. All the convicts challenged the special court's verdict before the high court, while the Gujarat government sought confirmation of the death sentences. Special Public Prosecutor Amit Patel said the prosecution had presented all evidence, including material related to the larger conspiracy, before the high court. "The trial court's order has been confirmed. The death penalty awarded to 38 convicts has been upheld," Patel told reporters, adding that he would comment on the finer legal aspects after the detailed judgment is uploaded. He said the case had been heard extensively for more than one-and-a-half years and was taken up on a day-to-day basis since March 2025, with full-day hearings from January this year before the verdict was delivered. Patel also said the court directed the state government to pay compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the families of those killed and Rs 5 lakh to the injured before March 30, 2027. Retired IPS officer Abhay Chudasama, who was then Deputy Commissioner of Police in the Ahmedabad Crime Branch and supervised the investigation along with then Joint Commissioner of Police Ashish Bhatia, said the verdict validated the investigation carried out by the police. He said the probe was one of the most challenging investigations undertaken by the Crime Branch and became a matter of prestige for investigators. According to Chudasama, the investigation stood out because of unprecedented coordination among police forces and agencies across different states. "We first traced one phone number, which led us to five more. That helped us unravel the entire conspiracy and also detect other blast cases across the country. Gujarat Police arrested the maximum number of accused," he said. He said a team of four investigating officers was constituted under his supervision and that of Ashish Bhatia, with officers travelling across the country to gather evidence and apprehend suspects. Recalling the investigation, Chudasama said the Crime Branch cracked the case within 20 days of the serial blasts, exposing the wider Indian Mujahideen network operating across the country. He said four Deputy Superintendent of Police-rank officers were appointed as investigating officers to complete the probe and file charge sheets within four months. Chudasama added that the investigation relied heavily on technical surveillance, forensic evidence from bomb-making sites, communication records and documentary evidence collected from across India. Police also gathered evidence about training camps allegedly organised in Kerala's Wagamon forests and Halol in Gujarat, besides collecting records related to rented houses, mobile phone purchases, hotel stays, identity documents, procurement of bomb-making materials, gas cylinders and the placement of vehicles used in the conspiracy, he said. "By putting together all these pieces of evidence, the charge sheet became a very strong case," he said. The retired officer said the trial continued for several years and the investigation withstood judicial scrutiny at every stage. "The Sessions Court awarded capital punishment to 38 convicts, and the High Court has now confirmed that judgment. It shows that our investigation was in the right direction and completely accurate," Chudasama said. Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi also welcomed the verdict, saying the high court had delivered one of India's strongest judgments by upholding the maximum punishment awarded by the trial court. "38 DEATH SENTENCES. 11 LIFE TERMS. ZERO MERCY. July 26, 2008, Amdavad Serial bomb blast. Today, the Gujarat High Court delivered one of India's strongest and most historic verdicts: near-total conviction, maximum punishment upheld for the guilty," he stated on X. This was the first time that such a large number of convicts had been handed the death sentence by any court in one go. In January 1998, a TADA court in Tamil Nadu sentenced to death all 26 convicts in the case of the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. Meanwhile, families of the Ahmedabad blasts victims expressed satisfaction over the verdict, demanding swift execution of the punishment. Eyewitnesses and survivors recalled the horrific scenes after the blasts, with one of them saying that he saw people "burning like candles" around him and bodies hanging from trees due to the impact of a blast that occurred at a civil hospital 18 years ago. "Terrorists have no humanity, and they should not be allowed to benefit from prolonged trials. We were as relieved by today's Gujarat High Court verdict as we were in 2022 when the special court awarded the death sentence to 38 convicts," Alpeshkumar Shah, who lost his brother Chirag Shah in one of the blasts in the Maninagar area, told PTI. Another victim's family said justice delayed amounted to justice denied. "It took around 14 years for the special court to deliver its verdict in 2022 and four more years for the high court to decide the appeals. God knows how many more years it will take before the legal process is finally over. Where is justice?" asked Jagdish Antani, a resident of Vadodara district. Antani's brother-in-law, Himanshu Chhaya, was killed in a blast inside a bus near Sarkhej. Recalling the horrific scenes, VHP worker Laxman Chudasama, who sustained serious injuries to his legs and hands, recalled interacting with the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi when he visited the hospital to meet survivors. PTI PJT KVM PD GK NP NSK