Ahmedabad: In what comes as the fiercest punishment in Indian history is the death penalty to 38 convicts who were accused in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case. The remaining convicts out of the 49 were sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday 18th February. Nearly 80 accused were undertrials since the incident.
The Special Court Judge AR Patel pronounced the quantum of punishments for the convict’s giving justice to the 56 that died in Gujarat in 2008. On February 8th, a court in Gujarat had convicted 49 accused and acquitted 28 others in the case. The court also ordered financial assistance of Rs One Lakh to the kin of the deceased in the blasts, Rs 50,000 to those grievously injured and Rs 25,000 to those who suffered minor injuries.
Within a span of 70 minutes, 21 explosions hit Ahmedabad on July 26, 2008, injuring 200. The police which began the probe claimed the involvement of Indian Mujahideen terrorists who executed the blasts as revenge for the 2002 post-Godhra riots in Gujarat. 20 FIRs were registered in Ahmedabad after which15 more were filed in Surat, where live bombs were recovered from various spots. In a search operation, nearly 29 more bombs were recovered across the city between 28th and 31st July.
The case was probed by the special team constituted in Ahmedabad Crime Branch led by DGP Ashish Bhatia during the initial phases. Later it was transferred to the succeeding officers holding charge. The first arrest was sought on August 15, 2008. The trials paced after an accused out of the 78 turned an approver of the crime.