Railways awards compensation to 23 victims of 2002 Sabarmati Express train carnage case

The family members of 23 victims, out of 59, who were killed in the Sabarmati Express train carnage case in 2002, were given cheques of Rs 4.85 lakh each by the Indian Railways as compensation as ordered by Gujarat High Court back in 2017.

In 2017, a division bench of high court while pronouncing judgement on a batch of appeal petitions in the case had directed the state and the railways to pay Rs 10 lakh as compensation to each family members of 59 kar sevaks who were killed in the incident on February 27, 2002. They were traveling in the S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express from Ayodhya which was burnt at Godhra railway station. The incident had triggered widespread communal riots.

"A total of 23 victims' families were given cheques of Rs 4.85 lakh. The others will be awarded once the documenting process gets over. Although it is too late, it has come as a huge relief to all of us," said Bipin Thakkar who lost his brother-in-law and father-in-law in the incident. He said that state government has already distributed the amount of Rs5 lakh as ordered by the court while the railway is yet to comply with the order. He said that since railways had awarded Rs15,000 to the victims two days after the incident, they are paying the remaining Rs4.85 lakh to everyone.

The division bench had ordered back in 2017, "the amount of compensation to be awarded to each of the victim for loss of life shall be Rs.10 lakhs will be just and fair to be shared equally by the State of Gujarat and the Ministry of Railways, Union of India. In case, any ex gratia payment is made to the victim either by the State of Gujarat or Ministry of Railways, or under any scheme of the Central Government, such amount is to be excluded against this amount."

In the same order, the court had commuted the death sentence of 11 convicts to rigorous life imprisonment while upholding the sentencing of 20 others to life term. It also upheld acquittal of 63 remaining accused.