The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday (July 7) upheld a 2022 Special Court order awarding death sentence to 38 and life imprisonment to 11 convicts in the 2008 Ahmedabad Serial Blast Case, which claimed 56 lives, PTI reported.

A detailed copy of the order is awaited.

The high court had in 2022 issued notice on the State's plea to confirm their death sentence.

The special court had in 2022 sentenced 38 of the 49 convicts to death under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code. The 11 others were sentenced to life in jail till death.

The trial court had also awarded compensation of Rs 1 Lakh each to those killed in the blasts, and Rs 50,000 for each victim with serious injuries and Rs 25,000 each for those with minor ones. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 2.85 lakh each on the 48 convicts.

The trial court had on February 8, 2022 declared 49 of the total 78 accused as guilty under various offences of the Indian Penal Code, including for murder, sedition and waging war against the state, as well as under offences of the UAPA and Explosive Substances Act.

“It came to the notice of this court during the course of the proceedings over the last five years that the accused are highly skilled in every aspect- they are educated, with some of them being doctors, professors, and computer experts, and having committed crimes in other states, with cases against them going on in these states...The accused are such that to get information out of them to reach at the root of the crime is a highly difficult job. Despite this, investigating officers have gathered much evidence against them, which would form the basis of the judgement along with the circumstances surrounding them,” the court had held.

Bombs went off in Ahmedabad on July 26, 2008, at various spots including the state government-run civil hospital, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation-run LG Hospital, on buses, parked bicycles, in cars and other places, killing 56 persons.

Advocates Ronith Joy, Vishvesh Acharya, Utkarsh Dave, Mehul Dhonde, Retired Justice Abhay Thipsay, Ashutosh Abhay Thipsay, Deeksha Dwivedi, Abhinav Sekhri, Sowjhanya Shankaran, Arshiya Ghose, Gaganjyot for Arif Mirza, Arif Badaruddin, Mohd Saif, Zeeshan Ahmad, Saifur Rehman, Zia Ur Rehman and Imran Ahmed @ Raja Siraj appeared for the accused persons.

Case title: STATE OF GUJARAT v/s JAHID @ JAVED KUTUBUDDIN SHAIKH & ORS.,

SAMSUDDIN @ SAMSU S/O SHAHBUDDIN SHAIKH & ORS v/s STATE OF GUJARAT, ATIKURREHMAN @ ATIK ABDULHAKIM KHILJI & ORS. v/s ATIKURREHMAN @ ATIK ABDULHAKIM KHILJI & ORS. and Batch

R/CC/2/2022, R/CR.A/1710/2022, R/CR.A/1917/2022, R/CR.A/1710/2023, R/CR.A/2106/2023, R/CR.A/727/2024

Citation: 2026 LiveLaw (Guj) 188