The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the execution of the death sentence awarded to Ahmed Bawa @ Abbu Abubakar Barelvi, one of the 38 convicts sentenced to capital punishment in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case.

A Bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sandeep Mehta and Justice Augustine George Masih passed the order while hearing Barelvi's challenge to the Gujarat High Court judgment which upheld his conviction and death sentence.

Appearing for Barelvi, his counsel submitted that the conviction was based entirely on the allegation of conspiracy.

The Court issued notice to the State of Gujarat on Barelvi's challenge, while staying the execution.

The Ahmedabad serial blasts took place on July 26, 2008, when a series of explosions struck different parts of Ahmedabad, killing 56 people and injuring more than 200 others.

A special court in Gujarat, in February 2022, convicted 49 accused in the case. It awarded the death penalty to 38 convicts and sentenced the remaining 11 convicts to life imprisonment. The court acquitted 28 other accused.

The convictions and sentences were subsequently challenged before the Gujarat High Court, which also considered the proceedings seeking confirmation of the death sentences.

In July 2026, the Gujarat High Court upheld the convictions and death sentences of all 38 convicts and confirmed the life sentences awarded to the other 11 convicts.

Case : AHMED BAWA @ ABBU ABUBAKAR BARELVI v. THE STATE OF GUJARAT AND ORS.|. Diary No. 58302-2026