Godhra Riot: On Friday, the Supreme Court granted bail to eight defendants in the 2002 Godhra railway coach-burning case. All 69 defendants in the 2002 Naroda Gam massacre case, including former BJP MLA Maya Kodnani, ex-Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi, and Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Jaydeep Patel, were exonerated by a special court in Ahmedabad on Thursday, April 20.
Naroda Gam case took years to resolve
20 more defendants received life sentences in addition to the 11 convictions handed down by the trial court. The Gujarat High Court later maintained the conviction of 31 but lowered the case’s death penalty. One day after a Gujarat court cleared everyone of all charges in the riots that broke out after the arson at Godhra, the court will hear the case. Following the burning of the Sabarmati Express in Godhra on February 27, 2002, the Naroda Gam case was one of nine significant riots in Gujarat for which a swift day-by-day trial was mandated. The Naroda Gam case took years to resolve, despite the cases being assigned to specific courts and under the Supreme Court’s supervision.
Must Read: Gujarat Special Court Acquits 69 Suspects in Naroda Gam Massacre Case
Nearly 182 prosecution witnesses in the case were subjected to cross-examination
In the Naroda Gam case, 17 of the 86 prisoners were exonerated after the trial; this left 69 convicts free to leave. Nearly 182 prosecution witnesses in the case were subjected to cross-examination. On April 5, Special Judge Shubhada Krishnakant Baxi postponed the proceeding. Five judges presided over the trial throughout the years, and some of their prior orders provided evidence of both the prosecution’s and the defense’s dilatory strategies.
Greatest massacre of the Gujarat riots
Those charged in the case include Jaideep Patel, a leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Kodnani, a former minister in the administration of the then-chief minister Narendra Modi, and V S Gohil, a former police inspector at the Naroda police station. In the Naroda Patiya case, which involved the greatest massacre of the Gujarat riots on February 28, 2002, Kodnani and Bajrangi were found guilty in 2012. Kodnani was given a 28-year prison term, however the Gujarat High Court cleared her of all charges in 2018.
Must Read: Cheers to the future! Karnataka PUC II results declared on official website
Keep watching our YouTube Channel ‘DNP INDIA’. Also, please subscribe and follow us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and TWITTER.
