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NEW DELHI: A special court in Ahmedabad on Thursday acquitted all accused in 2002 Gujarat Naroda Gam riots case in which 11 Muslims were killed in the post-Godhra violence.
The verdict came 21 years after the incident and 14 years after the court was established and trial commenced against 86 persons. During the long pendency of the case, 17 accused persons have passed away.
Former minister Maya Kodnani, Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi and former general secretary of VHP, Jaydeep Patel, were among the accused who faced the trial for murder, criminal conspiracy, rioting and arson among 12 different charges levelled against the accused persons.
During the long trial, the prosecution examined 187 witnesses whereas the accused persons called 58 witnesses in their defence.
According to a special prosecutor in this case, seven judges heard this case at different stages. The final hearing in this case took place before three judges, and the process had to be repeated on account of the retirement of two judges who had heard the arguments.
The defence lawyers also questioned the witnesses for long durations, as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) officer, then DySP P L Mall, was cross-examined for more than a year.
Five accused including Kodnani and Bajrangi were also tried for the Naroda Patia massacre, which took place three kilometres from Naroda Gam on the same day. Kodnani and Bajrangi were convicted to life imprisonment by the SIT court in 2012. The Gujarat high court upheld Bajrangi’s conviction, but acquitted Kodnani.
The verdict came 21 years after the incident and 14 years after the court was established and trial commenced against 86 persons. During the long pendency of the case, 17 accused persons have passed away.
Former minister Maya Kodnani, Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi and former general secretary of VHP, Jaydeep Patel, were among the accused who faced the trial for murder, criminal conspiracy, rioting and arson among 12 different charges levelled against the accused persons.
During the long trial, the prosecution examined 187 witnesses whereas the accused persons called 58 witnesses in their defence.
According to a special prosecutor in this case, seven judges heard this case at different stages. The final hearing in this case took place before three judges, and the process had to be repeated on account of the retirement of two judges who had heard the arguments.
The defence lawyers also questioned the witnesses for long durations, as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) officer, then DySP P L Mall, was cross-examined for more than a year.
Five accused including Kodnani and Bajrangi were also tried for the Naroda Patia massacre, which took place three kilometres from Naroda Gam on the same day. Kodnani and Bajrangi were convicted to life imprisonment by the SIT court in 2012. The Gujarat high court upheld Bajrangi’s conviction, but acquitted Kodnani.
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