Gujarat serial blasts case: 49 accused convicted, 28 acquitted

The trial against 77 accused was completed by the court in September last year. Nearly 56 people were killed in a series of bomb blasts in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad in 2008.

Ahmedabad serial blasts case

After a protracted trial that lasted almost 13 years, a special court in Gujarat convicted 49 accused while acquitted 28 out of 77 accused in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial bomb blast case.

The trial against 77 accused was completed by the court in September last year. Nearly 56 people were killed in a series of bomb blasts in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad in 2008.

At least 56 people were killed and over 200 injured in 21 bomb blasts that had hit Ahmedabad city within a span of 70 minutes on July 26, 2008.

The special court will spell out the quantum of punishment on Wednesday. Special Judge AR Patel delivered the verdict in the most high-profile serial blasts case in Gujarat.

What happened on the fateful night?

In 2008, after the serial blasts, the Gujarat Police busted a nationwide network of radical elements from a minority community, who where involved in carrying out serial blasts in the city.

The police said people associated with banned terror outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM), a faction of radicals of the outlawed Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), were allegedly involved in carrying out the serial blasts in which 56 innocent people were killed and over 200 sustained serious injuries.

There were a series of bomb explosions in Ahmedabad on July 26, 2008, which resulted in death of 56 persons and injuries of various types to 240 persons. The explosions were caused at public premises and crowded places with intention to cause terror among public at large. A total 23 blasts took place in the city between 6:30 pm to 7:45 pm.

A few minutes prior to the blast, the television channels and media had received an email, purportedly from an organization called as 'Indian Mujahideen' warning that such a series of blasts would occur. Thereafter, Surat police recovered 29 bombs from various parts of the city between 28 July and 31 July 2008. The materials used in the blasts were similar to those used in Ahmedabad, except that the integrated circuits were used in the preparation of the Surat bombs. Investigations revealed that faulty circuits and detonators had rendered the bombs ineffective and hence had not exploded.