Supreme Court sentences Indian Mujahideen agent to death in 2008 Ahmedabad blasts case

Representative image only. | Photo credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

The Supreme Court on Thursday (October 1, 2026) stayed the death sentence awarded to an Indian Mujahideen operative in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial bomb blast case that killed 56 people.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, AG Masih and Sandeep Mehta passed the interim order while hearing an appeal filed by Ahmed Bawa alias Abbu Abubakar Barelvi challenging the Gujarat High Court verdict upholding the death sentence imposed on him.

The bench issued a notice to the Gujarat government and called for the production of court records, while ordering that the death sentence not be carried out in the meantime.

His lawyer appeared for Barelvi and argued that his conviction rested solely on the allegation that he was part of a conspiracy behind the blasts. “I was convicted entirely on the basis of conspiracy,” the attorney said.

However, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Gujarat government, opposed the plea and emphasized the seriousness of the case. “It is a serious case,” Mr. Mehta said.

On 26 July 2008, Ahmedabad was hit by a series of 21 bomb blasts over 70 minutes, killing 56 people and injuring more than 200. The blasts also occurred at hospitals where victims of the attacks were being taken for treatment.

On July 7, the Gujarat High Court upheld the death sentences awarded to 38 convicts in the case and the life sentences imposed on 11 others.

In upholding the death penalty, the Supreme Court cited the scale of the victims, the “enormous nature of the conspiracy” and the intent to “create an atmosphere of widespread terror in society”. He also took into account the roles and criminal antecedents of the convicts and their behavior during the trial.

“The manner in which the blasts were carried out speaks volumes about the mindset and the ruthless act of taking the lives of innocent people,” the Supreme Court said.

Those convicted include Safdar Nagori, a former leader of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), and his associates from several states, including Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh.

Seventy-eight people appeared before the court in the case, which related to 20 FIRs over the Ahmedabad blasts and another 15 related to unexploded bombs found in Surat. A special court convicted 49 of them.

Published – 1 October 2026 13:14 IST