Ahmedabad blasts: Gujarat HC upholds death for two convicted in Hyderabad twin blasts case

The Gujarat High Court upheld the death sentences of Mohammed Akbar Ismail Chaudhary and Aneeq Shafique Sayeed in the Ahmedabad serial blasts case. The duo had earlier been sentenced to death by a Hyderabad court for their role in the 2007 twin bomb blasts

Hyderabad: Two Indian Mujahideen operatives, Mohammed Akbar Ismail Chaudhary and Aneeq Shafique Sayeed, whose death sentences in the Ahmedabad serial blasts case were upheld by the Gujarat High Court on Tuesday, had earlier been sentenced to death by a Hyderabad court for their role in the 2007 twin bomb blasts at Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat Bhandar.

The duo, along with 47 other convicts, had challenged the 2022 verdict of the special court before the Gujarat High Court. The special court had awarded the death penalty to 38 of the 49 convicts under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, while the remaining 11 were sentenced to imprisonment for the remainder of their lives.

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Akbar Ismail and Aneeq Shafique were arrested by the then united Andhra Pradesh Police along with two other accused in connection with the August 2007 Hyderabad twin blasts. The explosions at Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat Bhandar claimed the lives of 42 people and left 54 others injured.

Following the trial in the Hyderabad twin blasts case, the city court had sentenced both accused to death. They were subsequently transferred to Gujarat to face trial in the Ahmedabad serial blasts case. The Ahmedabad court also awarded them the death penalty, which they challenged before the Gujarat High Court. On Tuesday, the High Court upheld their death sentences.