JOIN US9 get life term in Ode riots case
A special court in Anand on Friday awarded life imprisonment to nine people and acquitted 31 for killing three members of a Muslim family during the 2002 post-Godhra riots in Gujarat.
Pronouncing the judgement, Judge R N Sareen convicted 9 of the 41 accused on charges of murder, rioting and criminal conspiracy. This was the third riot case in Ode village of Anand district in which the verdict has been delivered.
Last month another special court had convicted 23 accused in a separate riot case which had resulted in the death of 23 persons. Of the 23 convicted in the case 18 were sentenced to life in prison. The case was probed by the Supreme Court appointed special investigation team headed by former Central Bureau of Investigation director R K Raghavan.
Three muslims were killed in the Malwa Vagol area of Ode village on March 1, 2002, following the Godhra train carnage.
The SIT had registered cases against 41 persons based on the complaint filed by Rehana Yusuf Vohra. One of the alleged accused had died during the course of trial. Those killed in the incident were identified as Ayesh Vohtra, Nooriben Vohra and Qadir Vohra.
During the course of the trial, the court had examined 67 witnesses and almost 100 documents were scrutinised by the court. Sixteen of the witnesses had turned hostile. Public Prosecutor B C Trivedi said: “The court had upheld its argument on the criminal conspiracy charges against the accused in the case.
“However, the court rejected the arguments of the prosecution that since it was the rarest of the rare case capital punishment should be handed out.”