The special trial court hearing the Ode village riot case of 2002 today acquitted three accused giving them benefit of doubt.
Ayesha Vohra, Nuriben Vohra and Kaderbhai Vohra were killed in Malav Bhagol area of Ode village of Anand district in Gujarat by a ramapaging mob on March 1, 2002, in the aftermath of Godhra train burning incident.
Ankur Shapurbhai Patel, Mohan alias Shashin Ramesh Patel and Nikul Ravji Patel were acquitted by Judge M S Bhatt. They had been charged with murder, unlawful assembly, rioting, arson, etc.
Earlier, the court had convicted ten others in May, 2012 in the case, probed by the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT), and awarded life term to nine and a six-month jail terms to one.
The trio had jumped the bail six years ago. Ankur was traced from Perth in Australia last year while Nikul was caught in England. Mohan was traced in Singapore.
After they were brought back to India, the trial resumed.
This is one of the nine riot cases from Gujarat probed by SIT.
