Yesterday, a Special court acquitted former Gujarat minister Maya Kodnani and ex-Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi and all 67 accused in the post-Godhra riots in Ahmedabad’s Naroda Gam, after 11 minority community members were killed.
Challenging the Courts judgement, the victim's families said the judgment would be challenged before Gujarat High Court since “justice was denied”, the accused and their relatives termed the verdict, which came more than 21 years after the incident, a “victory of truth”
The bench headed by special judge for special investigation team (SIT) cases S.K. Baxi, acquitted all the 67 accused in one of the worst massacres witnessed during the riots triggered by the Sabarmati train carnage on February 27, 2002, after a trial spanning 13 years.
The 67 accused were already out on bail. Outside the court compound, relatives of the accused hugged each other and cried profusely after learning of the verdict. After coming out of the court premises, some of the accused shouted “Jai Shri Ram” and “Bharat Mata ki jai”.
Former minister Kodnani said: “The truth has truly won today.”
The councsel member of the Victim's family, Advocate Shahshad Pathan, said: “We will study the grounds on which the special court decided to acquit all the accused and challenge the order in the high court. It appears the victims have been denied justice. The question remains as to who burnt 11 persons to death in the presence of policemen?” Pathan told reporters.
The accused had been booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapons), 120B (criminal conspiracy), and 153 (provocation for riots), among others. Then BJP president Amit Shah, now Union home minister, had in September 2017 appeared in the trial court as a defence witness for Kodnani.
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