Indian court sentences 38 to death for fatal 2008 bombings

NEW DELHI: A court in India has sentenced to death 38 people for a series of bomb blasts in 2008 that left more than 50 dead and 200 wounded in the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state, which has a history of violent clashes between Hindus and Muslims.
It was the first time that so many accused have received death sentence in a single case in India. The sentence must be confirmed by a higher court.
Judge A. R. Patel on Friday also sentenced 11 people to life imprisonment in the case in which more than a dozen bombs went off in several parts of Ahmedabad. A militant Islamic group called Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami has claimed responsibility for the bombings. It was considered to be Pakistani-based but apparently is no longer active.