The Gujarat High Court upheld the 2022 Special Court verdict in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case, confirming death sentences for 38 convicts and life imprisonment for 11 others. The coordinated bomb blasts killed 56 people and injured nearly 200 across Ahmedabad.
The Gujarat High Court has today upheld a 2022 Special Court verdict in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case, confirming death sentences for 38 convicts and life imprisonment for 11 others. The attacks had resulted in the deaths of 56 people. The decision was delivered by a Bench of Justice A. Y. Kogje and Justice Samir J. Dave, following the State Government’s appeal seeking affirmation of the death penalties. The High Court had reserved its orders a day earlier; a detailed written judgment is yet to be released.
Back in 2022, the High Court had issued notices to the Gujarat Government on the separate appeals filed by the convicts, challenging both their convictions and sentences.
On July 26, 2008, a series of blasts 22 explosions in total occurred across Ahmedabad. The targets included the Civil Hospital, LG Hospital, buses, and also multiple parked bicycles and cars. The attacks killed 56 people and left around 200 others injured. The prosecution said the serial blasts were carried out by members of the Indian Mujahideen (IM), allegedly linked to the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), as retaliation for the 2002 post-Godhra riots.
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In February 2022, the Special Court in Ahmedabad sentenced 38 of the 49 convicts to death under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code. The remaining 11 were awarded life imprisonment until death. Special Judge A. R. Patel also directed compensation Rs 1 lakh to the next of kin of each person killed, Rs 50,000 for each seriously injured victim, and Rs 25,000 for those who sustained minor injuries. Today’s ruling by the Gujarat High Court has upheld both the Special Court’s judgment and its orders.
Background of the Case:
The 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case is one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in India’s history. On the evening of July 26, 2008, a series of coordinated bomb explosions ripped through Ahmedabad, Gujarat, within a span of about 70 minutes, killing 56 people and injuring more than 200 others. The attacks targeted crowded public places, including hospitals, buses, markets, and residential areas, causing widespread panic across the city.
The serial blasts occurred just a day after bomb explosions in Bengaluru, suggesting a coordinated terror campaign. Investigators found that a total of 21–22 low-intensity improvised explosive devices (IEDs) had been planted at multiple locations, including Ahmedabad Civil Hospital and L.G. Hospital, where several victims of the earlier explosions had been taken for treatment. The apparent targeting of hospitals was seen as an attempt to maximise casualties by striking both the initial victims and those involved in rescue and medical response.
Minutes before the explosions, several media organisations received an email from a group calling itself the Indian Mujahideen (IM) claiming responsibility for the attacks. The email stated that the blasts were carried out as retaliation for the 2002 Gujarat riots and the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992. During the investigation, police concluded that the Indian Mujahideen, allegedly comprising members associated with the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), had planned and executed the attacks.
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The Gujarat Police’s Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) led one of the country’s largest anti-terror investigations. Investigators alleged that the bombs were assembled using ammonium nitrate and fuel oil (ANFO) along with ball bearings and timers, and that several explosive devices had been placed on bicycles, while others were hidden inside stolen cars fitted with gas cylinders. The investigation extended across several states, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi, resulting in the arrest of dozens of suspected operatives.
The investigation also uncovered 29 live bombs in Surat a day after the Ahmedabad blasts. These devices, planted at different locations, failed to explode due to technical defects, enabling bomb disposal squads to safely recover them. The recovery of these unexploded devices proved crucial in helping investigators understand the construction of the IEDs and identify those allegedly involved in the conspiracy.
In all, 35 criminal cases were registered 20 relating to the Ahmedabad blasts and the remainder concerning the unexploded bombs recovered in Surat. Over the course of the investigation, 78 accused were chargesheeted under provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA), the Explosive Substances Act, the Arms Act, and the Information Technology Act. The trial commenced before a special court in Ahmedabad in 2010 and continued for over a decade, making it one of the longest and most complex terrorism trials in India.
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