APEX COURT HALTS DEATH SENTENCE EXECUTION OF AHMEDABAD BLAST CONVICT AS LEGAL CHALLENGE MOVES FORWARD

October 1, 2026

The Supreme Court has stayed the execution of Ahmed Bawa alias Abbu Abubakar Barelvi, an Indian Mujahideen operative convicted in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts case that killed 56 people and injured more than 200 others.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Augustine George Masih and Sandeep Mehta issued notice to the Gujarat government on Barelvi’s challenge to the Gujarat High Court judgment that upheld his death sentence. The apex court has also called for the records of the trial court.

The July 2026 Gujarat High Court ruling had upheld the death sentences of 38 convicts in the case. It also confirmed life imprisonment for 11 others who had been convicted for their respective roles in the wider conspiracy.

The Ahmedabad attacks took place on July 26, 2008, when 21 explosions struck different parts of the city within roughly 70 minutes. Several blasts occurred near hospitals where injured victims were being taken for treatment.

A special court in Gujarat had sentenced 38 convicts to death in February 2022, while 11 others received life imprisonment. The case involved a large conspiracy and included allegations concerning terrorist training, procurement of materials and logistical support.

Barelvi has challenged the findings against him before the Supreme Court. His plea will now be examined by the apex court, with the stay meaning that his death sentence cannot be carried out while the present proceedings remain pending.

The Supreme Court’s intervention does not overturn the conviction or death sentence at this stage. The case will proceed after the Gujarat government responds to the notice and the court examines the records and grounds raised in the appeal.