Gulberg Society verdict: 11 sentenced to life, 12 others to be jailed for seven years

AHMEDABAD: A special court here on Friday sentenced to life imprisonment 11 persons, of the 24 convicted for the Gulberg Society massacre of 2002. One of the convicts was sentenced to 10 years in jail and 12 others for seven years. Special Sessions Court Judge P.B. Desai in his verdict, 14 years after the massacre, convicted 24 people, including Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Atul Vaidya but rejected the charge of conspiracy. Thirty six persons, including ruling Bharatiya Janata Party municipal corporator Bipin Patel, were acquitted. The killings took place on February 28, 2002. Judge P.B. Desai, handling cases being probed by a Supreme Court appointed Special Investigation team, had acquitted 36 of the accused in what has come to be known as the Gulberg Society case. The Gulberg Society case is one of the nine cases relating to the widespread riots in Gujarat in 2002 that are being probed by the Supreme Court appointed SIT. The trial had ended on September 22, 2015.