The Gujarat High Court has confirmed the special court ruling in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case. Attention has returned to parts of Kerala associated with the Popular Front of India, notably Eerattupetta in Kottayam district and Kondotty in Malappuram district.
Three men from Kerala are among the 38 people whose death sentences were upheld. They are Shibili, aged 47, and Shaduli, aged 45, brothers from Eerattupetta, along with E.T. Safarudheen, aged 43, from Kondotty. Kunjanikkara Perunthalli Mohammed Ansar, aged 45, from Aluva received a life term.
The explosions killed 56 people and wounded 246 others. The special court delivered its verdict on February 18, 2022, and the high court division bench has now sustained the penalties.
Eerattupetta has long been linked to religious extremist incidents. In September 2021, statements by a local bishop about alleged targeting of Christian youths triggered protests by Muslim groups and counter-demonstrations by Christian organizations. Authorities kept order without violence.
The National Investigation Agency has carried out raids and arrests in Eerattupetta targeting Popular Front of India members for suspected radicalization, training camps, and funding activities.
The convictions have renewed discussion on radicalization in Kerala, alongside calls to reorganize Malappuram district and reports of arrests in other terror cases. Events involving solidarity with groups in Gaza and claims of conversions to extremist networks have added to these concerns.
