Ahmedabad Hooch tragedy: Eight women among 10 convicted, 12 set free
TNN | Mar 29, 2019, 06:09 IST
Almost 10 years after 149 persons died in a hooch tragedy, a city sessions court on Thursday held 10 persons i... Read MoreAHMEDABAD: Almost 10 years after 149 persons died in a hooch tragedy, a city sessions court on Thursday held 10 persons including eight women guilty of culpable homicide, manufacturing, supplying and selling spurious liquor and punished them with jail term. Twelve other accused were acquitted.
The order which handed out jail terms ranging from six months to 10 years to the convicted came as a slight setback for the state government, which had introduced murder charge in the Gujarat Prohibition Act in the event of such hooch tragedy. This charge entailed maximum punishment of death sentence.
The murder charges, however, could not be proven in this case, but two persons were held guilty of culpable homicide.
The court recorded conviction in a case registered with Kagdapith police station, where 34 persons had died in July 2009, mainly in Kantodiawas in Raipur. Twenty-four persons were put on trial. A second case was registered in Odhav police station. Thirty-nine persons are awaiting court verdict in this case in which 115 persons were reported dead.
Hooch tragedy: 321 witnesses examined
The court concluded that the main accused Vinod Thakkar alias Dagri and Arvind alias Ghanshyam Talpada had knowledge of use of methanol in making liquor, but the prosecution could not prove their intention to kill people. They were acquitted of murder charge in section 302 of IPC but were punished under section 304 Part II of IPC.
Additional sessions judge D P Mahida awarded 10 years' jail term and imposed fine of Rs 50,000 fine to Dagri, while Talpada got seven-years imprisonment. They also got punished under the prohibition laws. Eight women accused Vimla Chunara, Sunita Ashok Chunara, Asha Chunara, Sunita Mahesh Chunara, Lata Chunara, Sajjan Chunara, Somiben Thakor and Ganga Chunara were convicted for supply and sale of spurious liquor. Seven got six months jail while Somiben got two-year jail term in connection with various sections of prohibition laws.
One of the defence counsel, Ilyaskhan Pathan said, "The prosecution could not prove the liquor supply channel and this led to acquittal of 12 accused persons. Those women who have been convicted were exonerated of murder and culpable homicide charges."
The prosecution examined 321 witnesses in this case. The trial in this case remained in controversy after the state government invoked section 268 of the CrPC against the accused and restricted their movement outside the Sabarmati central jail premise. It was Gujarat high court that revoked the restrictions and the accused got bail.
The order which handed out jail terms ranging from six months to 10 years to the convicted came as a slight setback for the state government, which had introduced murder charge in the Gujarat Prohibition Act in the event of such hooch tragedy. This charge entailed maximum punishment of death sentence.
The murder charges, however, could not be proven in this case, but two persons were held guilty of culpable homicide.
The court recorded conviction in a case registered with Kagdapith police station, where 34 persons had died in July 2009, mainly in Kantodiawas in Raipur. Twenty-four persons were put on trial. A second case was registered in Odhav police station. Thirty-nine persons are awaiting court verdict in this case in which 115 persons were reported dead.
Hooch tragedy: 321 witnesses examined
The court concluded that the main accused Vinod Thakkar alias Dagri and Arvind alias Ghanshyam Talpada had knowledge of use of methanol in making liquor, but the prosecution could not prove their intention to kill people. They were acquitted of murder charge in section 302 of IPC but were punished under section 304 Part II of IPC.
Additional sessions judge D P Mahida awarded 10 years' jail term and imposed fine of Rs 50,000 fine to Dagri, while Talpada got seven-years imprisonment. They also got punished under the prohibition laws. Eight women accused Vimla Chunara, Sunita Ashok Chunara, Asha Chunara, Sunita Mahesh Chunara, Lata Chunara, Sajjan Chunara, Somiben Thakor and Ganga Chunara were convicted for supply and sale of spurious liquor. Seven got six months jail while Somiben got two-year jail term in connection with various sections of prohibition laws.
One of the defence counsel, Ilyaskhan Pathan said, "The prosecution could not prove the liquor supply channel and this led to acquittal of 12 accused persons. Those women who have been convicted were exonerated of murder and culpable homicide charges."
The prosecution examined 321 witnesses in this case. The trial in this case remained in controversy after the state government invoked section 268 of the CrPC against the accused and restricted their movement outside the Sabarmati central jail premise. It was Gujarat high court that revoked the restrictions and the accused got bail.
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