2008 Ahmedabad Blasts Case: Death Sentence To 38 Out Of 49 Convicts

New Delhi: A special court in Gujarat has sentenced 38 people to death in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts case. Eleven other convicts were sent to a life in prison.

Notably,  a serial bomb blast on July 26, 2008, killed 56 people and left more than 200 injured. Last week, a special court in Gujarat convicted 49 people and acquitted 28 others in connection with the blasts.

Days after the serial blasts in Ahmedabad, the police had recovered bombs from different parts of Surat, following which 20 FIRs were registered in Ahmedabad and 15 in Surat. The trial was conducted after the court merged all 35 FIRs.

All the accused appeared virtually in court while the sentences were pronounced. The death sentences will need to be confirmed by the Gujarat High Court, India Today reported.

Judge A R Patel also awarded compensation of Rs 1 lakh each to kin of 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.