Ahmedabad, October 1 (Udaipur Kiran) : The Supreme Court has temporarily halted the execution of Ahmad Bawa Abubakar Bareilvi, who was sentenced to death for his involvement in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts. On Thursday, the court issued a notice in response to Bareilvi’s plea challenging the Gujarat High Court’s decision that upheld both his conviction and death sentence.
A special bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Augustine George Masih, and Sandeep Mehta heard Bareilvi’s Special Leave Petition (SLP) and has called for a response from the Gujarat government and other respondents regarding the matter.
Represented by lawyer Ashutosh Thakur, Bareilvi contested the High Court’s ruling, arguing against the findings that led to his conviction and death penalty. He maintained that he was wrongfully convicted based solely on alleged conspiracy.
In February 2022, the Ahmedabad Sessions Court convicted 49 out of 78 accused in the case, sentencing 38, including Bareilvi, to death. Eleven others received life sentences, while 29 were acquitted.
The blasts that occurred on July 26, 2008, resulted in the deaths of 56 individuals and left over 200 injured. A total of 35 FIRs were filed, leading to 548 charge sheets. The trial court’s judgment spanned nearly 7,000 pages, with the case file comprising approximately 788,000 pages.
The accused hailed from various states, including Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Jharkhand, facing charges under multiple laws, including the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Explosive Substances Act.
Following the Sessions Court’s death sentences, the Gujarat government approached the High Court to seek the implementation of the sentences for the 38 convicted individuals. Currently, the Supreme Court has issued a notice regarding Bareilvi’s plea and has stayed his execution.
Deependra Singh Chundawat is a Senior Sub-Editor at Udaipur Kiran, specializing in a wide range of technology topics including mobile phones, applications, gaming, PCs, and wearables. Along with covering the latest tech news, he also creates engaging web stories. Passionate about emerging technologies, he stays up to date with the newest trends and enjoys reading and writing about the latest mobile launches and digital innovations.