18 years of Godhra Riots: Ex-BJP leader Maya Kodnani's defence argument from next week, trial of Naroda Gam case at fag end

18 years after the incident, the trial of the Naroda Gam massacre case has reached its fag end with one of the key accused, former BJP minister Maya Kodnani's defence argument set to start from Monday. The trial court on Thursday told her lawyer to start the argument from next week. This is the only case, among the nine worst cases of 2002 post-Godhra riots, which is yet to be decided by the trial court.

Kodnani is among the 82 accused in the Naroda Gam case along with Babubhai Patel alias Babu Bajrangi who are facing trial for killing 11 Muslims in the Naroda Gam society on February 28, 2002. This was after the February 27 incident when coach S-6 of Sabarmati Express train, packed with kar sevaks returning from Ayodhya, was burnt at Godhra railway station in which 57 of them were killed.

The incident led to widespread riots in various parts of the state with Ahmedabad witnessing of some of the worst cases. A Supreme Court appointed-Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been probing the Naroda Gam case.

In her defence, Kodnani had brought Union Home Minister Amit Shah in court in 2018 to prove her alibi that she was not present at the scene of the offence when the riots broke out.

Shah deposed in the court and said that he saw Kodnani at Gujarat assembly and Sola civil hospital on the day of riots. However, the SIT in its argument requested the court to discard his statement as he recorded it after a gap of 15 years.

She is alleged to have led the rioters that went on a killing spree in the Muslim neighbourhood.

The cases investigated by the SIT include Naroda Patiya, Gulbarg Society, Ode, Sardarpura among others.

In the Naroda Patiya case, the Gujarat high court had acquitted Kodnani and 15 others against whom the victims have moved Supreme Court where the matter is pending.

Two cases in Anand are also before the Supreme Court. In the Ode massacre case, the Supreme Court recently granted bail to 14 convicts and ordered them to do social, spiritual and community work till their appeal is decided. The convicts, who were held guilty of killing 23 persons including women and children, have been barred from entering Gujarat.

While the verdict of Gulbarg Society case, in which 24 were held guilty for killing 69 persons including ex-Congress parliamentarian Ehsan Jafri, is under trial in the Gujarat high court.

Jafri's wife Zakia had filed a complaint against then chief minister Narendra Modi, now the prime minister and entire state machinery for allegedly orchestrating the riots.

The SIT gave a clean chit to Modi and others on the ground that there was not enough evidence to prosecute them. Jafri's appeal petition is pending in the apex court.