2008 Ahmedabad Bomb Blasts: India Court Sentenced 38 to Death

2008 Ahmedabad Bomb Blasts: A special court in Ahmedabad purportedly held on Friday that the 2008 Ahmedabad bomb blasts were a “conspiracy” to remove Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. According to the court order, the placement of bombs at hospitals where blast victims from other sites were being brought was done in case CM Modi visited those hospitals. According to Yatin Oza, senior advocate at CTN, the court has made it clear that it cannot be ruled out the possibility that the culprits are trying to get rid of Modi.

Senior advocate Yatin Oza remarked, “I have seen the clips of the judgment. In addition, the possibility of removing the then Chief Minister and Home Minister cannot be ruled out. It doesn’t say that it was a conspiracy but said that it can’t be ruled out. The court has invested so many hours, has gone through so many papers, gone through the evidence of so many witnesses. There is nothing to criticize the verdict of the court. So, we have to respect the judgment of the court.”

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2008 Ahmedabad bomb blasts

There were 20 bombs that went off in different parts of the city on July 26, 2008, Ahmedabad Bomb Blasts , killing 56 people and injuring 246 others. The prosecution said the accused were associated with the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen, a faction of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India. They allegedly planned the spate of blasts as revenge for the 2002 post-Godhra riots. 20 FIRs and 15 FIRs were registered in Ahmedabad and Surat, respectively, after the Ahmedabad Bomb Blasts, but the special court merged all 35 cases.

Though the trial commenced against 78 persons commenced in December 2009, it concluded only in September 2021. During this period, the prosecution filed 547 charge sheets and examined 1163 witnesses. While one accused turned approved, 28 others were acquitted whereas 49 were convicted by Special Judge AR Patel on February 8 this year. They were found guilty of committing offenses under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosive Substances Act, and Damage to Public Property Act. Moreover, 11 other convicts were given life imprisonment.

Earlier today, the special court sentenced 38 convicts in this case to death while 11 others were given life sentences. Amit Patel, the Special Public Prosecutor, explained to the media that this was a rare case where such a large number of accused persons were sentenced to death in one case. Furthermore, he revealed that the court had ordered compensation for the victims.