New Delhi, Oct 1 — The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the execution of the death sentence awarded to Ahmed Bawa Abubakar Barelvi, a death-row convict in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case, while issuing notice on his plea challenging the Gujarat High Court judgment upholding his conviction and capital punishment.
A Special Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Augustine George Masih and Sandeep Mehta passed the interim order while hearing Barelvi's Special Leave Petition (SLP) against the Gujarat High Court verdict.
The apex court issued notice to the Gujarat government and other respondents, seeking their responses to the plea.
Barelvi, represented by advocate Ashutosh Thakur, has challenged the Gujarat High Court judgment that upheld his conviction and death sentence in the serial blasts case.
During the hearing, his counsel challenged the findings upholding his conviction and death sentence, arguing that he had been convicted entirely on the basis of the alleged conspiracy.
Barelvi was among 38 convicts sentenced to death by the Ahmedabad Sessions Court after 49 of the 78 accused were convicted in the case on February 18, 2022.
The remaining 11 were sentenced to life imprisonment, while 29 were acquitted.
The blasts took place at multiple locations in Ahmedabad on July 26, 2008, killing 56 people and injuring more than 200.
The case involved a massive investigation, with 35 FIRs registered and 548 charge sheets filed. The trial court judgment ran into nearly 7,000 pages after examination of thousands of pieces of evidence and 1,163 witnesses, while the paper book in the case was reported to comprise around 7.88 lakh pages.
The accused in the case were residents of different parts of the country, including Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand.
They were prosecuted under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the Explosive Substances Act, the Damage to Public Property Act, the Information Technology Act and the Arms Act, among other provisions.
Following the death sentences awarded by the Sessions Court, the Gujarat government moved the High Court seeking execution of the sentences against the 38 convicts.
The Supreme Court has now issued notice on Barelvi’s plea challenging the High Court judgment and stayed the execution of his death sentence.