20 Blasts, 56 Dead, 7.88 Lakh Pages & 38 Death Sentences: The 2008 Ahmedabad Serial Blasts And Trial

Last Updated:July 07, 2026, 18:06 IST

Nearly 18 years later, the Gujarat High Court, on July 7, delivered its verdict in the case, upholding the death sentence for 38 convicts and the life imprisonment for 11 others

The 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts remain one of the deadliest terror attacks in India’s history. On the evening of July 26, 2008, the financial capital of Gujarat was rocked by 20 coordinated bomb blasts within just 60 minutes, leaving 57 people dead and hundreds injured.

Nearly 18 years later, the Gujarat High Court, on July 7, 2026, delivered its verdict in the case, upholding the death sentence for 38 convicts and the life imprisonment for 11 others, bringing one of the country’s longest and most complex terror trials closer to its legal conclusion.

20 BLASTS IN 60 MINUTES

What began as a routine Saturday evening soon turned into one of the darkest days in Ahmedabad’s history.

The attackers struck 20 locations across the city in a coordinated assault. Crowded markets, public transport and busy public spaces were among the targets. In a particularly chilling move, the terrorists also targeted hospitals where victims of the initial explosions had been taken for treatment, triggering fresh panic and casualties.

The serial blasts claimed 56 lives, while over 200 people sustained injuries. Soon after the attacks, the banned terror outfit Indian Mujahideen claimed responsibility through an email sent to media organisations.

• Date & Time: July 26, 2008.
• Scale: 21 synchronized bomb explosions ripped through 20 locations within a 70-minute window.
• Casualties: 56 people were killed, and over 200 others sustained injuries.
• Targets: Government-run Civil Hospital, LG Hospital, public buses, parked cars, and bicycles.
• Motive: Orchestrated by the Indian Mujahideen as retaliation for the 2002 post-Godhra riots.
• Surat Bombs: Two days later, 15 unexploded live bombs were recovered and defused in Surat.

78 ACCUSED, 1,163 WITNESSES

The Ahmedabad serial blasts case went on to become one of the largest criminal trials in the country’s judicial history.

A total of 78 accused were put on trial. One of them, Ayaz Syed, later turned approver and became a prosecution witness. To establish the conspiracy, investigating agencies presented statements from 1,163 witnesses, making it one of the most evidence-intensive terror prosecutions in India.

In February 2022, Special Court Judge A.R. Patel convicted 49 accused and acquitted 28 others, citing insufficient evidence against them.

TUNNEL ESCAPE PLOT INSIDE SABARMATI JAIL

The case also witnessed a dramatic development during the trial.

In 2013, security agencies uncovered a conspiracy by several accused lodged in Sabarmati Central Jail to escape by digging an 18-foot-long tunnel. The plot was foiled after prison authorities detected the tunnel before the escape could be executed.

THE JUDGMENT: 7.88 LAKH PAGES OF DOCUMENTATION, 38 DEATH SENTENCES

The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday upheld a special court order that pronounced death sentences for 38 operatives of the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM) and life imprisonment for 11 others in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts, which claimed 56 lives.

The special court’s February 2022 order marked the first time that so many convicts had been handed down the death sentence by any court at one go.

The convicts include Safdar Nagori, former leader of the banned outfit Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), and his associates.

The high court also directed the state government to pay compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of those who died in the serial blasts and Rs 5 lakh to those who were grievously injured.

A division bench of justices A Y Kogje and Samir Dave rejected all appeals against the order of the lower court and upheld its verdict confirming the sentences to members of the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen in the case.

All the persons convicted by the lower court had challenged the order in the High Court. The state government had approached the HC for confirmation of sentences to the convicts. Special public prosecutor Amit Patel said the government had placed all the evidence against the convicts before the high court during the trial.

The HC heard the case extensively for more than one and a half years, and from February this year, the case was heard on a day-to-day basis with a day review of over 7.88 lakh pages of documentation.

ACTION AGAINST INDIAN MUJAHIDEEN

The Ahmedabad blasts were followed by a series of terror attacks linked to the Indian Mujahideen, including the 2010 German Bakery blast in Pune, in which 17 people were killed. Following these attacks and other terror incidents, the Central government imposed a permanent ban on the outfit under anti-terror laws.

With PTI inputs

About the Author

Manjiri Joshi

At the news desk for 20 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing speci...Read More

News explainers 20 Blasts, 56 Dead, 7.88 Lakh Pages & 38 Death Sentences: The 2008 Ahmedabad Serial Blasts And Trial

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