49 convicted, 28 acquitted in 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case

The convicts had reportedly executed a series of 21 blasts in Ahmedabad within a span of 70 minutes on July 26, 2008. The terror attack had led to the death of 56 people at various places in the city, while over 200 people were injured. The Islamic militant group, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, had claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Ahmedabad: A special Court in Gujarat on Tuesday convicted 49 of the 77 accused in the 2008 serial bomb blast case in Ahmedabad, while 28 of the accused were acquitted. The quantum of punishment for the convicted will be declared by Justice AR Patel on February 11.

The hearing was held virtually, wherein the bench heard the appeals made by both the parties and made its observations based on that. In the hearing held yesterday - which was also headed by Justice AR Patel - 16 of the total accused were acquitted, taking the total count of acquitted accused from 12 to 28. The defence told the court in its submission that "the plea is to give the convicts a chance to rectify and give them time to present their educational qualifications, their family status, and medical evidence."

Special Public Prosecutor Amit Patel told the court, "The convicts have committed a heinous crime. Therefore, they should be given maximum punishment," additionally referring to the verdict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case to the court. The prosecution said in a statement that the court had taken into account the fact that the accused had committed a terrorist act, adding that the criminal history of the accused and the 'Surang Kand' should also be taken into consideration.

The convicts had reportedly executed a series of 21 blasts in Ahmedabad within a span of 70 minutes on July 26, 2008. The terror attack had led to the death of 56 people at various places in the city, while over 200 people were injured. The Islamic militant group, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, had claimed responsibility for the attacks.