Special Investigation Team to appeal against acquittal.
A special court here today convicted 31 people for the 2002 Godhra train burning incident, in which 59 ‘kar sevaks’ returning from Ayodhya were burnt to death, triggering widespread communal violence in Gujarat.
Judge P R Patel acquitted 63 others, including Maulana Umarji, a prime accused. Arguments on the sentences will take place on Friday.
The communal riots in different parts of the state killed around 1,200, mostly Muslims.
Public prosecutor J M Panchal said, charges of conspiracy theory against the accused had been accepted by the court.
In the 850-page judgment, the court acquitted prime accused Maulana Umarji, ex-Godhra municipality chief Mohammad Abdul Rahim Kalota, Nannu Mian Chowdhary and Mohammad Ansari. Other key accused Haji Billa and Rajjak Kurkur were convicted.(Click for table)
The trial on the Godhra case began in June 2009. Charges were framed against 94 accused in the carnage. They were charged with criminal conspiracy and murder in burning of the S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express on February 27, 2002, at Godhra, about 125 km from here.
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According to the charge-sheet, an unidentified mob of 900 to 1,000 attacked the train near Godhra railway station on the fateful day. The S-6 coach was carrying ‘kar sevaks’ returning from Ayodhya.
For a long time, there has been a matter of dispute as to whether the burning incident was a planned conspiracy or a spontaneous accident. It is said the attackers forced the train to stop before they set fire on the S-6 compartment. An inquiry commission set up by the state government said in 2008 that the burning of the train was a “conspiracy”.
Appeal against acquittal
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) that investigated the Godhra train burning incident today indicated it may go in for an appeal against the acquittal of the main accused and 62 others in the case.
“We will examine the prospects of an appeal. That’s the most logical thing to do. I am not committing myself to any definite conclusion,” SIT Head R K Raghavan said reacting to the court convicting 31 people and acquitting 63, including main accused Maulvi Umarji, in the case.
He said he bowed down to the wisdom of the judge in acquitting 63 people but added, “Still, I have the right to have a look at the judgement, go through the statements, consult a bigger opinion and then decide the future course of action”.
Raghavan said if the SIT was convinced on the evidence, it may proceed further for an appeal but that is “too early to say now”.