2008 Ahmedabad Serial Blasts Case: Supreme Court Stays Execution Of Death Row Convict Mohammad Tanvir

New Delhi, October 19, 2026: The Supreme Court has stayed the execution of the death sentence awarded to Mohammad Tanvir, an Indian Mujahideen operative convicted in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts case that claimed 56 lives and injured more than 200 people.

A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and Aparesh Kumar Singh agreed to hear Tanvir’s plea challenging the Gujarat High Court’s July 7 verdict, which upheld the death sentences of 38 operatives of the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen.

Supreme Court Seeks Records, Stays Execution

“There shall be stay of execution of the death sentence awarded to the appellant (Tanvir),” the Supreme Court said in its October 9 order.

The bench directed that the original case records be obtained from the trial court and the high court.

It also instructed the Gujarat government to submit reports prepared by all probation officers concerning Tanvir within eight weeks.

The court asked the superintendent of the jail concerned to provide a report detailing the work Tanvir had undertaken during imprisonment, along with an assessment of his conduct and behaviour, within the same period.

“The superintendent of prison of the concerned prison shall also get done the psychological evaluation of the appellant from the government medical hospital,” the bench said, directing that the evaluation report also be submitted within eight weeks.

The Supreme Court scheduled the next hearing after 12 weeks.

High Court Upheld Death Sentences Of 38 Convicts

On July 7, the Gujarat High Court upheld the February 2022 judgment of a special court, which sentenced 38 convicts to death and 11 others to life imprisonment for their involvement in the serial blasts.

Rejecting the appeals filed by the convicts, the high court held that the criminal antecedents and individual roles of the 38 death row convicts established their involvement in a terrorist act warranting capital punishment.

The court observed that the special court had considered both mitigating and aggravating circumstances before awarding the sentences.

It cited the heavy loss of life, the “humongous nature of the conspiracy”, the intention “to create an atmosphere of widespread terror in the society”, the convicts’ conduct during the trial and the scale of the conspiracy as factors justifying the death penalty.

The high court also described the killings as an “inhuman and dastardly act” that had claimed innocent lives.

Ahmedabad Blasts Killed 56, Injured Over 200

On July 26, 2008, Ahmedabad was rocked by 21 bomb explosions across different parts of the city within 70 minutes, killing 56 people and injuring more than 200.

The investigation involved 35 police cases, including 20 connected to the Ahmedabad explosions and 15 concerning unexploded bombs recovered in Surat.

These cases were subsequently merged, leading to the trial of 78 people. The special court convicted 49 of them.

While confirming life imprisonment for 11 convicts, the Gujarat High Court observed that the prosecution had established their participation in terror-training camps and their involvement in procuring scooters, plastic containers and clocks used in the conspiracy. They had also arranged shelter for other individuals involved in the case.

The special court’s February 2022 judgment marked the first instance of a court sentencing 38 convicts to death in a single case.

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Supreme Court Had Earlier Granted Relief To Another Convict

Tanvir is not the first convict in the Ahmedabad serial blasts case to receive a stay on the execution of his death sentence from the Supreme Court.

On October 1, the apex court had stayed the execution of Ahmed Bawa alias Abbu Abubakar Barelvi, another death row convict in the case.

With Tanvir’s appeal now before the Supreme Court, the execution of his death sentence will remain stayed while the court considers his challenge to the Gujarat High Court’s ruling.

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