HC reserves order on appeals by convicts, special SIT court

In 2011, 31 persons were sentenced by a special SIT court in 2011 and 63 were acquitted.

The incident had led to widespread riots in the state in which hundreds of people from the minority community were killed.

The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday reserved its order on a set of petitions, including petitions of 31 convicts challenging the order of the trial court, in the 2002 Sabarmati Express train-burning case, in which 59 persons were killed. The incident had led to widespread riots in the state in which hundreds of people from the minority community were killed. The order is likely to be pronounced post summer vacation in June.

In 2011, 31 persons were sentenced by a special SIT court in 2011 and 63 were acquitted. While 11 convicts were sentenced to death, the remaining 20 were sentenced to life imprisonment. All the convicts have challenged the trial court’s order in the High Court. Some of the convicts who were awarded death sentence include Haji Bilal, Mohammad Kurkur, Binyamin Behra, Hasan Charkha,Yusuf Zarda, Mehbub Ahmed alias Latiko, among others.

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On the other hand, the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team have moved before the court for confirmation of death sentence to 11 convicts. It has also challenged the acquittal of 63 accused. In another petition, the SIT has sough the enhancement of 2o convicts’ sentence. Besides, there is a petition moved by the victims of the incident who have also sought the enchantment of sentence.
All these petitions have been clubbed together and was heard by the division bench of Justices A S Dave and G R Udhwani. On Thursday, the arguments were concluded and the bench reserved its order. According to senior lawyer J M Panchal, who represents SIT in the case, the order is likely to come post summer vacation.

On February 27, 2002, coach number S-6 of Sabarmati Express train were torched by a mob at Godhra railway station in which 59 people, mostly kar sevaks, were killed. A day later, this incident triggered widespread communal riots in the state.

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