After 14 Years Verdict Pronounced for 2008 Ahmedabad Serial Blast Case

• After 14 years, the verdict will be pronounced by the special court of Ahmedabad in the case of the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blast. 
• Out of 78 accused, 49 were convicted. 
• One became a government approver, and the court acquitted the other 28. 

July 26, 2008: Ahmedabad, Gujarat, was on high alert after numerous serial blasts occurred in the city. There were a total of 21 bombings in various parts of the city.

The Indian Mujahidin (IM), a militant group of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Several news organizations got a 14-page email with the subject line “Await 5 minutes for the revenge of Gujarat,” only five minutes before the bomb. The bomb was carried out in retaliation for the Gujarat riots of 2002, sparked by the Godhra Train Burning event.  

During that same week, terrorists planned another assault in Surat, with 18 explosives hidden in various locations across the city.

Fortunately, none of the explosives exploded since the Gujarat Police discovered them in time. During the forensic examination of the devices, it was discovered that the bomb’s trigger was attached incorrectly, resulting in the bombs not exploding. 

Eighty-nine persons were determined to be involved in the plot during the inquiry. Some of the accused could depart the country, while others died for other causes. There were still 78 accused against whom a trial was held.

One of the defendants decided to serve as a government approver, assisting the investigating agencies in cracking down on the case as quickly as possible. 

In the Ahmedabad bomb blast, there were 56 innocent people died. The bombs were exploded at the following places: Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, Trauma Center, Khadia, Raipur, Sarangpur, L.G. Hospital, Maninagar, Maninagar, Hatkeshwar Circle, Bapunagar, Thakkarbapa Nagar, Jawahar Chowk, Govindwadi, Isanpur, Narol, Sarkhej.  

The legal case began in 2009, a year after the explosion. Many witnesses noticed many twists and turns in the case during the trial.

The terrorists were found guilty after a 14-year trial. During the trials, nine judges were replaced, over 6000 pieces of evidence were submitted in court, 547 charge papers totaling over 3 lakh pages were filed, and the court recorded the statements of over 1100 witnesses. The principal charge sheet was about 9800 pages long. 

The trial was completed in September 2021, and the court postponed the case’s decision until February 2022.

The decision was supposed to be made on February 1, 2022. Still, the judge in the case, Mr. A.R. Patel, became afflicted with covid-19 in the last week of January 2022, and the date of the decision was pushed back to February 8, 2022. 

The court convicted 49 persons in the Ahmedabad Serial Bomb Blast Case on February 8, 2022, and acquitted 28 others on the grounds of doubt. The investigating agencies will appeal the judgment acquitting 28 persons in connection with the case to a higher court.

The sentence for 49 persons will be handed out on February 11, 2022, with the accused facing life in prison or the death penalty. 

The court will reopen the case against Yasin Bhatkal, the IM (Indian Mujahidin), and LeT’s main handler (Lashkar-e-Toshiba). Yasin Bhatkal claimed that he was the mastermind behind the bombing plot. He is now imprisoned at Tihar Jail. 

The list of the accused persons are as follows: 

1. Shamshudin Sheikh – 32 – Ahmedabad 
2. Gysudin Ansari – 29 – Ahmedabad 
3. Mohammed Kagazi – 34 – Ahmedabad 
4. Mohammed Usman – 24 – Vadodara 
5. Yunus Mansuri – 31 – Ahmedabad 
6. Kamarundin Chandmohommed – 34 – Ujjain 
7. Samuel Parvaj – 34 – Ujjain 
8. Sibli A. Kareem – 30 – Kerela 
9. Safdar Nagori – 38 – Ujjain 
10.  Hafeez Hussain – 27 – Karnataka 
11.  Mohammed Sajid – 35 – Bharuch 
12.  Abu Basar Sheikh – 28 – Uttar Pradesh 
13.  Abbas Sameja – 36 – Bhuj 
14.  Javed Sheikh – 25 – Ahmedabad 
15.  Atikur Rehman – 35 – Rajasthan 
16.  Mehendi Hassan – 26 – Rajasthan 
17.  Imran Ibrahim – 23 – Vadodara 
18.  Ikbal Kassam – 31 – Vadodara 
19.  Imran Pathan – 33 – Rajasthan 
20.  Mohammed Ansari – 29 – Madhya Pradesh 
21.  Mohammed Ismail – 27 – Ahmedabad 
22.  After Usmani – 32 – Mumbai 
23.  Mohammed Sadik – 33 – Mumbai 
24.  Mohammed Arif – 38 – Mumbai 
25.  Asif Sheikh – 24 – Pune 
26.  Rafiuddin Kapdiya – 28 – Bharuch 
27.  Mohammed Arif – 21 – Uttar Pradesh 
28.  Kayamuddin Kapdiya – 26 – Vadodara 
29.  Mohammed Saif Sheikh – 21 – Uttar Pradesh 
30.  Jishaan Ahmed – 23 – Uttar Pradesh 
31.  Jiyauur Reheman – 22 – Uttar Pradesh 
32.  Mohammed Shakeel Luhar – 24 – Uttar Pradesh 
33.  Anik Khalik – 27 – Pune 
34.  Mohammed Akbar – 26 – Pune 
35.  Fazeel Rehman – 23 – Pune 
36.  Mohammed Naushad – 26 – Karnataka 
37.  Ahmed Bawa Barelavi – 33 – Karnataka 
38.  Safaruddin Salim – 29 – Hydrabad 
39.  Saifur Reheman – 22 – Uttar Pradesh 
40.  Mohammed Ansar – 28 – Kerela 
41.  Saaduli A. Kareem – 32 – Kerela 
42.  Mohammed Tanveer – 27 – Uttar Pradesh 
43.  Mohammed Ansari – 33 – Madhya Pradesh 
44.  Ameen Sheikh – 29 – Madhya Pradesh 
45.  Mohammed Mobin – 32 – Madhya Pradesh 
46.  Mohammed Abrar – 32 – Madhya Pradesh 
47.  Mohammed Rafik – 28 – Ahmedabad 
48.  Tausif Khan Pathan – 35 – Jalgaon 

Edited By: Mahi Gupta

Publlished By: Shramana Sengupta