2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts: Supreme Court upholds death sentence for 38; the government calls the verdict a historic victory

A Division Bench of Justices AY Kogje and Samir Dave dismissed all appeals against the lower court’s order and upheld its verdict. File. | Photo credit: The Hindu

More than four years after a special court convicted 49 people in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blast case, the Gujarat High Court on Tuesday (July 7, 2026) upheld the verdict and upheld the death sentences of 38 members of the banned Indian Mujahideen (IM) and awarded life imprisonment to 11 victims and directed their families.

AY Kogje and Samir Dave dismissed all the appeals filed by the convicts against the February 2022 judgment of the special court and upheld the sentences. The bench also accepted the state government’s plea to confirm the death sentences.

The Supreme Court ordered the state government to pay compensation of ₹10 million to the next of kin of each person killed in the blast and ₹5 million to those who sustained grievous injuries. The compensation is to be paid by March 30, 2027.

The February 2022 verdict of the special court was the first instance of an Indian court awarding the death penalty to 38 convicts in a single case.

On 26 July 2008, 21 serial bomb blasts tore through various parts of Ahmedabad over a period of 70 minutes, killing 56 people and injuring over 200 others. The blasts also occurred at hospitals where victims from earlier blast sites were being taken for treatment, the first known case of hospitals being targeted by a terrorist attack in India.

The investigation culminated in a joint court after 35 cases were merged, including 20 FIRs registered in Ahmedabad in connection with 21 blasts and 15 cases from Surat where several improvised explosive devices were planted but failed to explode.

A total of 78 persons were tried before the special court, of whom 49 were convicted in February 2022. Those convicted include former Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) leader Safdar Nagori and several of his associates from Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and other states.

Special public prosecutor Amit Patel said the state had presented all the evidence against the accused in the High Court. He said the court heard the matter intensively for more than one-and-a-half years, with daily hearings since February this year, before reserving a verdict.

The February 2022 verdict remains the first time that 38 convicts have been given the death penalty in a single verdict.

“Today, the Gujarat High Court delivered one of India’s strongest and most historically significant verdicts: almost total conviction, maximum punishment for the culprits,” Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi said.

Mr. Sanghavi, who also holds the Home Ministry portfolio, said the judgment was significant not only for Ahmedabad and Gujarat but also sent a strong signal to the entire country and peaceful nations around the world that terrorism will not be tolerated.

Calling it one of the biggest legal victories against terrorism and a landmark judgment in the history of Indian judiciary, he thanked the Gujarat High Court, the trial court and the investigating agencies for their efforts in securing the conviction on behalf of the people of Gujarat. He said the investigation team had worked tirelessly over the years without any legal lapses or compromises, which allowed for the verdict.

“After years of legal proceedings, justice has finally been delivered to the victims, their families and the people of Gujarat,” he said.

“This judgment reaffirms that there is no place for terrorism or anti-national activities in India and that the verdict will be a milestone in the country’s fight against terrorism,” the Deputy CM said.

Referring to the Supreme Court’s direction to compensate the victims, he said the Gujarat government, led by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, would immediately implement the order by providing ₹10 crore to the families of those killed in the blast and ₹5 lakh to those who sustained grievous injuries.

The state government stands firmly with the affected families and will ensure that the compensation is paid without delay, he added.

Published – July 7, 2026 1:05 PM IST