The Gujarat High Court has upheld the death sentences for 38 Indian Mujahideen operatives and life imprisonment for 11 others involved in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts, which killed 56 people. The court also directed the state government to pay significant compensation to victims' families and those grievously injured.
Four people associated with the banned Students Islamic Movement of India were arrested on Thursday in connection with the Ahmedabad serial blasts, which claimed 55 lives.
Qayamuddin Kapadia, one of the key conspirators of the July 26 serial blasts in Ahmedabad, has been arrested by the Madhya Pradesh police.He allegedly planted cycle bombs in the city as well as bombs in different parts of Surat. He was also responsible for purchase of cycles on which the bombs were mounted and kept in different parts of the city.
A division bench of justices AY Kogje and Samir Dave, in its July 7 judgment cited the "humongous" conspiracy, the intention to spread widespread terror and the large number of casualties as key reasons for affirming the punishment.
Presiding over the trial that began on Thursday, designated Judge Bela Trivedi asked the Prosecution to initiate proceedings against the 62 arrested accused.
The Gujarat high court has characterised the 2008 Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts as a direct assault on India's sovereignty and democratic governance.
Those who were held guilty included Safdar Nagori, Javed Ahmed and Atikur Rehman. Among those acquitted were Mohammad Irfan, Nasir Ahmad and Shakeel Ahmed.
The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad has arrested an alleged Students Islamic Movement of India operative, who was wanted in the 2008 serial bomb blasts in the city, from Belgam in Karnataka.
A special court in Ahmedabad on Friday awarded death sentence to 38 convicts in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case, which had claimed 56 lives and left over 200 injured.
Thirteen years after 56 people were killed in a series of bomb blasts in Gujarat's Ahmedabad, a special court in the city has concluded the trial against 77 accused, while reserving its verdict in the matter.
14 blasts rocked Ahmedabad on Saturday evening killing 15 and injuring more than 100 people. The explosions occurred at Maninagar, Isanpur, Narol circle, Bapunagar, Hatkeshwar and Sarangpur bridge, Sarkej and Odhav and created a wave of panic.
"We have almost entirely solved the case. We have arrested 10 people who were involved in the July 26 blasts including the mastermind, Mufti Abu Bashir," Gujarat Director General of Police P C Pande said. He said most of the arrested persons were part of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India and Bashir, picked up in a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat Police, had planned out the entire blasts.
Assam has sounded a red alert in the wake of serial blasts which rocked in Ahmedabad and Bangalore.
The high court, however, directed the trial court concerned to conclude its trial in the case by taking up hearing at least twice a week, noting that the accused have been behind bars since 2008.
Two more Students Islamic Movement of India members have been arrested by Gujarat police in connection with the Ahmedabad serial blasts. "Two more people have been arrested in connection with the Ahmedabad serial blasts," Joint Commissioner of Police (crime branch) Ashish Bhatia said.
A team of the Gujarat police camping in Karnataka picked up two doctors -- Dr Saleem Ali and Dr Pathan -- from Bijapur, a town in northern Karnataka, on Sunday. Although police are yet to ascertain his role behind the two blasts, they say immediate information with them shows Dr Ali had provided logistic support to those who carried out the blasts.
The Ahmedabad Crime Branch on Monday released the photographs and details of five accused, who are still absconding, in connection with the Ahmedabad serial blasts.In a statement, the crime branch gave background of the five Students Islamic Movement of India activists -- Abdul Subhan alias Tauqeer, Qayamuddin Kapadia, Abdul Razzak, Mujib Sheikh and Alamzeb Aafridi, who are accused in the serial blasts.
Abdul Razzik, one of the key conspirators in the July 26 Ahmedabad serial blasts case, on Tuesday confessed his involvement in the terror attacks before a local court.Razzik, along with 24 other accused in the blast cases, was produced before Metropolitan Magistrate G M Patel after their police custody ended today.He said he was instigated by Tauqeer and he has spoken up to prevent more youths of his community from being mislead by the likes of Tauqeer.
"We have found a tunnel dug in the barrack where 14 of the serial bomb blasts accused are lodged. We have registered an FIR and investigation is on," said Superintendent of Sabarmati Central Jail V M Parghi.
Abu Bakar, Saiyad Qureshi, Mohammad Shoeb Qureshi alias Shoeb Bawa and Mohammad Yusuf Ismail alias Yusuf Bhatka, all residents of Mumbai, were on the run for 29 years.
The cartoon depicted men wearing skull caps hanging by the noose. It had a tricolour and a drawing depicting the scene of a bomb blast in the background, with "Satyamev Jayate" written on its top right corner.
The National Investigation Agency has sought the custody of 2008-Ahmedabad serial blasts accused Danish Riyaz, who was arrested recently by the city crime branch.
The nice accused in the Ahmedabad serial blasts case -- all of them activists of the Students Islamic Movement of India -- were remanded to police custody for 14 days by a local court.The Gujarat police on Saturday claimed to have cracked the blasts case with the arrest of Abu Bashir, the alleged mastermind, from Uttar Pradesh, and nine others belonging to the SIMI.
According to defence lawyers, the special court should not have relied solely on circumstantial evidence and statements of some convicts while giving its judgment.
Plotters of the 2008 Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts had also planned to kill then-Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi besides creating mayhem, one of the accused convicted for the bombings by a special court in Ahmedabad had admitted before the court in the past, the prosecution said on Friday.
One the accused in the case, Ayaz Saiyed, had turned approver and his statement was crucial in proving the crime against the other accused.
Special judge AR Patel will hear the arguments of the defence on Tuesday, special public prosecutor Sudhir Brahmbhatt said.
Details of the prime minister's visit were being finalised. He is likely to visit the hospitals and meet the injured in the blasts, official sources said on Sunday.
A team of Maharashtra police is camping in Gujarat to question some of Indian Mujahideen operatives arrested in connection with the Ahmedabad serial blasts of 2008.
Even as the furore over safety in Pakistan during Champions Trophy is yet to calm down, Australia have raised new security concerns about their four-Test tour in India in October after back-to-back serial bomb blasts rocked Bangalore and Ahmedabad last week. Representatives from Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association are due to leave for India on August 10 for the latest inspection, and may now also take a security consultant.
Family members of those convicted alleged that an attempt has been made by the BJP to polarise the UP Assembly elections and questioned the timing of the judgment.
One of the prime accused of the Mumbai serial train blasts in 2006 may have been involved in the Ahmedabad blasts. The intelligence agencies are trying to track Zulfikar Kagzi, a native of Rajasthan, and Sayyad Sheikh in connection with the Ahmedabad blasts.Kagzi is considered to be an expert in manufacturing bombs by using ammonium nitrate. Both accused were members of the banned outfit Students Islamic Movement of India.
Safdar Nagori, one of the 38 convicts sentenced to death in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts case by a Gujarat court on Friday, appeared remorseless after the sentencing for a terror act that killed 56 people, and was heard saying the Constitution does not mean anything to him.
The 29 accused produced before court included blast mastermind Mufti Abu Basher, SIMI leader Safdar Nagori and two others accused of planting bombs at various places in Surat after the terror attacks in Ahmedabad.
Survivors and the kin of those who died in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts welcomed the court's decision to sentence the perpetrators to death as well as life imprisonment.
A day after the Gujarat police claimed to have cracked the Ahmedabad serial blasts case, the Rajasthan police on Sunday said that they have detained three persons, including two activists of the Students Islamic Movement of India, for questioning in connection with the Jaipur serial blasts in May.Riaz and Vasim Kabadi from Talabpara area and Abid Bhai Kapdewala from Shoepurian Masjid area were detained by the police in Baran, about 100 kms from Kota, on Saturday evening.
Sheikh had allegedly transported the explosive material, RDX, to Mumbai after it landed on the Gujarat coast in the early 90s.
The arrest of Manzar Imam, a resident of Ranchi, in connection to the twin Hyderabad blasts appears to have given a positive momentum to the probe into the terror attack.
Shoaib Pottanikal, 49, was arrested by a team of Ahmedabad Crime Branch sleuths
