38 get death penalty in 2008 India’s Ahmedabad serial blasts case

A special court in India today sentenced to death 38 out of the 49 convicts in the serial blast case in Ahmedabad that left 56 people dead and more than 200 others injured nearly 14 years ago.

The court sentenced the 38 convicts to death under stringent anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Section 302 (murder) of Indian Penal Code, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

The 11 others were sentenced to life in jail till death.

Special Judge A R Patel also awarded compensation of Rs one lakh each to those killed in the blasts, Rs 50,000 for each victim with serious injuries and Rs 25,000 each for those with minor ones.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 2.85 lakh each on the 48 convicts.

Bombs went off in Ahmedabad city of Gujarat state on July 26, 2008, at various spots including a state-run hospital, on buses, parked bicycles, cars and other places, killing 56 persons.

Police had said members of terror outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM) were involved in the blasts. The IM terrorists had planned the blasts as a revenge for the 2002 post-Godhra riots in Gujarat, police said.