2002 Godhra carnage: Gujarat HC commutes 11 death sentences, all convicts get life imprisonment

The Gujarat High Court on Monday commuted the death sentences of 11 convicts to life imprisonment in the 2002 Godhra train case. The court has refused to change the verdict of the special SIT court, which acquitted 63 of the accused, as per an NDTV report. The high court also upheld the life sentence awarded by the court to 20 others in the case. A division bench of Justices Anant S Dave and G R Udhwani of the high court pronounced the judgement on appeals filed by the convicts as well as the prosecuting agency. The judges said that the court has relied on the testimony of the passengers injured in the train, as per a report by Times Now. The court also remarked said that the government had failed to maintain law and order at the time. Coach S-6 of the Sabarmati Express, in which 59 people, mostly ‘kar sevaks’ returning from Ayodhya were travelling, was burnt on 27 February, 2002 at the Godhra station, triggering riots in the state. The high court directed the government and Railways to pay Rs 10 lakh each to families of those killed in Godhra train burning case, media reports said. The special SIT court had on 1 March, 2011 convicted 31 people and acquitted 63 in the case. While 11 people were sentenced to death, 20 were given life in jail. Later, several appeals were filed in the high court challenging the conviction, while the state government had questioned the acquittal of 63 people. [caption id=“attachment_4123819” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. IBNLIVE[/caption]

The high court’s judgment comes over six years after the verdict of a special SIT court, which convicted 31 and acquitted 63 accused in the case. Later, several appeals were filed in the high court challenging the conviction, while the state government had questioned the acquittal of 63 people.

The SIT court had convicted 31 people while accepting the prosecution’s contention that there was a conspiracy behind the incident. All the 31 were convicted under IPC sections related to murder, attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy. Later, several appeals were filed in the High Court challenging the conviction, while the state government had questioned the acquittal of 63 people. The court had convicted 31 people while accepting the prosecution’s contention that there was a conspiracy behind the incident. All the 31 were convicted under IPC sections related to murder, attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy. Those acquitted included the prime accused, Maulana Umarji, the then president of Godhra Municipality Mohammad Hussain Kalota, Mohammad Ansari and Nanumiya Chaudhary of Gangapur, Uttar Pradesh. The Nanavati Commission, appointed by the Gujarat government to probe the carnage, had concluded that the fire in the S-6 coach was not an accident, but it was set ablaze. With inputs from PTI