On Friday, a special court awarded the death punishment to 38 convicts and sentenced 11 others to life imprisonment until death for the case related to the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts. In it, over 200 persons were injured while 56 persons were killed.
· A rarest of rarest Judgement: 38 people sentenced to death in Ahmedabad
· Got verdict after 14 years of wait: death sentence to 38 convicts
In India, this can be the first instance when the court pronounced this much of a death sentence in a day. On Friday, the special court judge A. R. Patel pronounced the quantum of the death sentence.
Previously, on February 8, the court had acquitted 28 accused. Nearly after 14 years of blast in the city, the verdict is finally delivered. The prosecution asked the capital punishment for all 49 convicts. However, the defense lawyers urged the court to show some leniency towards the convicts thinking about their economic and social background.
As per Amit Patel, Public Prosecutor, the 38 persons were convicted under the Indian Penal Code’s (IPC) Sections 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) and the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). At the same time, eleven others were held guilty for criminal conspiracy and under various sections of the UAPA.
Over 7,000-page of judgment mentioned in it, the trial court has termed the case as “rarest of rare.” Hence, it ordered that 38 convicts be hanged till death. At the same time, 11 others were awarded life imprisonment till death.
The court also granted compensation of ₹25,000 to those who received minor injuries, ₹50,000 to those who were seriously injured, and ₹1 lakh for the kin of those who died in the blasts.
On Friday, while the pronouncement of the sentence, all the convicts were present for the hearing via video conference from eight different jails. — the Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad, Tihar Jail in Delhi, and jails in Bhopal, Gaya, Bengaluru, Kerala, and Mumbai.
Edited by- Subbuthai Padma
Published by- Radhika.N
