Godhra Train Burning Case: SC To Hear Pleas Of Gujarat Govt, Convicts Today
The highest court stated on March 24 that the convicts' bail applications would be decided at the next hearing.
The Supreme Court will on Monday bail pleas of several convicts serving life imprisonment in the 2002 Godhra train burning case. Along with the bail applications, a bench composed of Chief Justice D. Y. Chandrachud, Justices P. S. Narasimha, and J. B. Pardiwala is slated to hear a number of the convicts' pleas challenging their convictions. The highest court stated on March 24 that the convicts' bail applications would be decided at the next hearing.
It had observed the submissions of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, showing up for the Gujarat government, that he needs to confirm specific authentic subtleties with respect to certain convicts.
However, the top court had extended one of the convicts' bail on the grounds that his wife was ill with cancer. Mehta had supported the medical reasons for extending bail.
Prior on March 17, the top court had said it will hear on March 24 the appeal of the Gujarat government and the bail pleas of of several accused in the case.
The state government informed the highest court on February 20 that it would be seeking the death penalty for 11 convicts whose sentences in the 2002 Godhra train burning case were reduced by the Gujarat High Court to life in prison.
"We will be seriously pressing for award of death penalty to the convicts whose death penalties were commuted into life imprisonment (by the Gujarat High Court). This is the rarest of rare cases where 59 people, including women and children, were burnt alive," the solicitor general had said.
"It is consistent everywhere that the bogie (coach) was locked from outside. Fifty-nine died, including ladies and children," he had added.
The law officer had stated that a trial court had given death sentences to 11 convicts and life sentences to 20 others in the case.
According to Mehta, the high court upheld 31 of the case's convictions and commuted 11 of them from death to life in prison.
2002 Godhra Train Burning Case
At Godhra in Gujarat on February 27, 2002, the Sabarmati Express' S-6 coach was set on fire, killing 59 people and sparking riots in the state.
The state government has come in bid against the commutation of death penalty into life term for 11 convicts, Mehta had said. He went on to say that a number of the accused have entered pleas in opposition to their convictions being upheld by the high court.
In the case, two convicts have been granted bail by the highest court. Seven additional bail pleas are awaiting decision in the case.
The bench noticed that countless bail applications have been documented before it for the situation and said, "It has been agreed that the AORs (advocates-on-record) on behalf of applicants along with advocate Swati Ghildiyal, standing counsel for Gujarat, shall prepare a comprehensive chart with all relevant details. List after three weeks." On January 30, the Supreme Court asked the Gujarat government to respond to the bail pleas of some of the convicts who were sentenced to life in prison in the case.
The court gave notice to the state government on the bail requests of Abdul Raheman Dhantia nom de plume Kankatto and Abdul Sattar Ibrahim Gaddi Asla, among others.
On the other hand, the state government claimed that the case was not "merely a stone pelting" because the convicts had bolted a coach of the Sabarmati Express, which resulted in the deaths of several train passengers.
Faruk, who was serving a life sentence in the case and had been in jail for 17 years, received bail on December 15 of last year.
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