After a protracted trial that lasted almost 13 years, a special court is likely to deliver its verdict in the 2008 serial blasts case in which Ahmedabad was rocked by explosions killing 56 people and leaving 200 injured. As many as 77 accused are facing the trial.
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The trial ended in September last year. Special public prosecutor Amit Patel said special judge A.R. Patel fixed Tuesday (February 1) as the date for judgment. Earlier, the case was notified twice for pronouncement of judgment, but was adjourned.
After the serial blasts, Gujarat Police had busted the nationwide network of radical elements who where involved in carrying out serial blasts in the city. Accordingly, the police had claimed people associated with banned terror outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM), a faction of radicals of the outlawed Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), were involved in the blasts.
The Police had also alleged that the terrorists associated with IM had planned and executed these blasts as a revenge for the 2002 post-Godhra riots in Gujarat.
The trial had began after as many as 35 cases were merged and consolidated into one case. The FIRs were filed in Ahmedabad where the blasts had taken place and in Surat where the police had recovered bombs from different locations.
During the lengthy trial that saw many twists and turns, the prosecution examined over 1,100 witnesses before Mr. Patel, who conducted the trial that had begun in 2009, a year after the blasts.
Besides murder, attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy, the accused have also been slapped with anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The trial in this high profile and sensitive case had initially begun from inside the Sabarmati central jail for security reasons and the proceedings were subsequently conducted mostly through video-conferencing.
