A division bench of Justice Jayant Patel and Justice Z K Saiyed today admitted the appeal against sixteen accused, including Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi and also condoned the delay in filing the appeal.
An application for condonation of delay, filed by SIT last month, had cited administrative problems as the grounds for delay in filing the appeal, which was accepted by the court today.
The lower court had convicted former minister in the Narendra Modi government Maya Kodnani, Bajrangi and 15 others in August 2012. As many as 96 people, mostly belonging to the minority community, were killed in the Naroda-Patiya massacre during the post-Godhra riots of 2002.
The court has convicted 32 and acquitted 29 persons.
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In November 2013, the SIT had filed three appeals seeking that Bajrangi and five other convicts should undergo life sentence without being considered for remission (reduction in term).
The SIT has not sought for enhancement of Maya Kodnani's sentence in its appeal. There was a flip-flop from government earlier regarding enhancement of sentence to Kodnani.
The government had earlier given permission to seek death penalty for Kodnani, but later backtracked after the right-wing organisation opposed the move.