Gujarat High Court commutes death penalty of 11 convicts to life imprisonment in the 2002 Godhra train coach burning case and upholds life imprisonment of 20 other convicts in Godhra case. Court also directs government and railways to pay Rs 10 lakh each to families of those killed in Godhra train burning case. Coach S-6 of the Sabarmati Express, in which 59 people, mostly ‘kar sevaks’ returning from Ayodhya were travelling, was burnt on February 27, 2002 at the Godhra station, triggering riots in the state.
The special SIT court had on March 1, 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. The court had convicted 31 people while accepting the prosecution’s contention that there was a conspiracy behind the incident.
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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.
