Ahmedabad Serial Blast Case: When did the Ahmedabad serial blasts take place, how many lives were lost? Gujarat High Court upheld the death sentence of 38 convicts

New Delhi. In the Ahmedabad serial blast case, Gujarat High Court has upheld the death sentence of 38 convicts and life imprisonment of 11 convicts. The High Court has also ordered to provide financial assistance to the families of the deceased and the injured. The court has said that the families of all 56 deceased should be given compensation of Rs 10 lakh each and more than 200 injured should be given compensation of Rs 1 lakh each. In February 2022, the Special Court of Ahmedabad had sentenced 38 convicts to death and 11 convicts to life imprisonment. The decision of the special court was challenged on behalf of the convicts in the Gujarat High Court, but they did not get relief from there also.

In the year 2008, there were serial bomb blasts at 21 places within 70 minutes in Ahmedabad. 56 people were killed in these bomb attacks, while more than 200 people were injured. According to the police, these serial bomb blasts were carried out in response to the riots after the 2002 Godhra incident. The police had claimed that people associated with the Indian Mujahideen and the banned Students Islamic Movement of India were behind the blasts.

77 people were made accused

A total of 77 people were made accused in this case. In the long legal case that lasted for years, the Special Court of Ahmedabad had acquitted 28 out of 77 accused due to lack of evidence. The court found 49 accused guilty and sentenced 38 to death and 11 to life imprisonment. This is the first case in the Indian justice system when 38 convicts have been sentenced to death together in a case. Statements of more than 1,100 witnesses were recorded in the special court. Even during the Corona period, the hearing of this case was not stopped. The Special Court had announced the punishment by keeping this case in the ‘rarest of rare’ category.