HC rejects Maya Kodnani’s bail plea
In a big setback for the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)ahead of the general elections, the Gujarat High Court today rejected the anticipatory bail application of absconding minister Maya Kodnani, holding that “religious fanatics are no better than terrorists”.
After the verdict, Kodnani, who is the minister of state for higher education, women and child education, resigned from the post. The bail plea was made in connection with the 2002 Naroda Patia riot case. The minister was arrested on Friday afternoon.
“Chief Minister Narendra Modi has accepted the resignation and it has been forwarded to Governor Naval Kishore Sharma. As far as her arrest is concerned, we cannot comment on it as it is a judicial matter,” a government spokesperson said.
Kodnani is accused of leading a rioting mob in Naroda Patiya and Naroda village area during the post-Godhra riots. More than 100 people were killed in the riots there.
The Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) had declared Kodnani and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Jaideep Patel as absconding.
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Kodnani and Patel had applied for anticipatory bail in a lower court in the city and were granted bail. However, SIT had challenged the lower court’s decision in the High Court.
Earlier today, Gujarat HC Justice D H Vaghela held that the accused did not take any steps to control the mob despite being present at Naroda Patia when the crime was in progress.
Kodnani has thrice won from the Naroda Assembly constituency.
The SIT, headed by former CBI Director RK Raghavan, is reinvestigating nine major cases of violence, including the Godhra carnage in the wake of burning of a coach of Sabarmati Express at the Godhra station on February 27, 2002.