New Delhi: A special court on Friday pronounced death sentence to 38 out of 49 convicts in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts case.
11 convicts have been sentenced to life imprisonment. Earlier this month, the court had convicted 49 accused and acquitted 28 others in connection with the case.
At least 56 people were killed and over 200 injured in 21 bomb blasts that rocked Ahmedabad city within a span of 70 minutes on July 26, 2008.
The police had claimed people associated with the militant outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM), a faction of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), were involved in the blasts.
It was alleged Indian Mujahideen (IM) militants had planned and executed these explosions as revenge for the 2002 post-Godhra riots in Gujarat, in which several persons from the minority community had died.
Days after the serial blasts in Ahmedabad, the police recovered bombs from different parts of Surat. Following the recovery, 20 FIRs were registered in Ahmedabad and 15 in Surat.
The trial, which began in December 2009, was conducted against 78 people. But, the number of accused later came down to 77 after one of them turned an approver during the course of trial. Four more accused were eventually arrested in the case, but their trial has not yet commenced, reports said quoting officials.
Over 1,100 witnesses were examined by the prosecution. The accused are facing charges of murder and criminal conspiracy, and have also been booked under relevant provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Among the suspects is Safdar Nagori, former head of SIMI, Hafiz Hussain Mulla, Saduli Abdul Karim, Kamruddin Chand Nagori, Amil Parvez Shaikh, Mohammed Yasin, Sibli Abdul Karim Muslim, Mohammed Ansari, among others.
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