Supreme Court Stays Death Sentence of Ahmedabad Blasts Convict Ahmed Barelvi

The Supreme Court stayed the execution of Ahmed Bawa Abbu Abubakar Barelvi, one of 38 convicts sentenced to death in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case.

Background and issue

The Supreme Court stayed the execution of Ahmed Bawa Abbu Abubakar Barelvi, one of 38 convicts sentenced to death in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case. A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and Augustine George Masih issued notice to Gujarat on his appeal against the High Court judgment upholding conviction and sentence. The stay protects Barelvi from execution while the appeal is considered; it does not disturb the conviction at this stage. His counsel also sought a translated copy of the Gujarat High Court judgment because the trial record was in Gujarati. The State must respond to the appeal.

Legal significance

The legal effect is confined to the judgment, order or procedural development reported here. Allegations, party submissions and oral observations are not treated as established facts unless expressly decided.

What follows

The matter proceeds according to the operative directions, statutory process or further hearing identified above.

Source: Original report