The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the execution of the death sentence of an Indian Mujahideen operative in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case, in which 56 people died.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, A.G. Masih and Sandeep Mehta passed the interim order while hearing an appeal by Ahmed Bawa, alias Abbu Abubakar Barelvi, against the Gujarat High Court verdict that affirmed his death sentence. The court issued notice to the Gujarat government, called for the trial court records, and directed that the sentence not be executed in the meantime.

Barelvi's counsel argued that the conviction rested entirely on the allegation that he was part of the conspiracy behind the blasts. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Gujarat government, opposed the plea, calling it "a serious case".

On July 26, 2008, a series of 21 bomb blasts ripped through Ahmedabad within 70 minutes, killing 56 people and injuring over 200. The Gujarat High Court on July 7 upheld the death sentences of 38 convicts and life terms for 11 others.

The stay is interim and says nothing about the merits. The question now is how the court weighs a conspiracy-based conviction in this terror case.