Overview
- A division bench of the Gujarat High Court on July 7 upheld a special court’s 2022 convictions, confirming death sentences for 38 people and life terms for 11 in the July 26, 2008 serial bombings that killed 56 and injured about 200–240.
- The court’s full written judgment of roughly 2,200 pages described the plot as a “humongous” conspiracy aimed at spreading terror and said the attacks intended to undermine democratic order.
- The judges found evidence of planning, links to terror training camps and logistics networks, noted in‑custody misconduct including a 213‑foot tunnel, and said the accused showed no remorse, factors the court said supported the harsh sentences.
- The bench ordered the Gujarat government to pay victims compensation — Rs 10 lakh for each death, Rs 5 lakh for grievous injury and Rs 1 lakh for simple injury — to be disbursed before March 30, 2027.
- The court also said the attacks were planned to hit Hindu localities and therefore amounted to targeted terrorism, and it paused executions for three months so the convicts can file appeals to the Supreme Court.