Verdict in Godhra train carnage case likely soon

The Supreme Court has cleared the way for the verdict in the Sabarmati train burning case, which was followed by the Gujarat riots in 2002.

The apex court has also vacated its stay on judgments in seven other major Gujarat riot cases excluding the Gulbarg society case.

Finally, it’s time for verdicts to be delivered in the 2002 Gujarat riot cases. The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday cleared the way for judgments to be delivered on several cases that have been pending until now.

In eight of the nine major riot cases it has been monitoring for the last four years, the apex court had been overseeing Godhra, Ode, Prantij, Sardarpura and five other cases.

Train carnage verdict

With the Supreme Court today lifting the stay on the pronouncement of judgement in 2002 Gujarat riots cases probed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), verdict in the Godhra train carnage case can be expected soon.

The trial in the Godhra incident had got over in the last week of September but pronouncement of the judgment was kept pending owing to the apex court’s stay.

According to the special public prosecutor JM Panchal, a formal hearing in the case was scheduled for November 1. It is likely that judge PR Patel, who tried the case, could fix a date for pronouncement of the verdict.

The torching of the Sabarmati Express near Godhra, where 58 persons, most of them karsevaks, were burnt to death, had triggered widespread communal riots across Gujarat.

The trial, conducted inside the Sabarmati Central Jail here against 94 accused, began in June 2009 with the framing of charges. In all, there were 107 accused, of which five died, while eight others were juveniles and their cases were transferred to the juvenile court.

Besides the Godhra episode, verdict in another case probed by the SC-appointed SIT is expected soon as the trial was nearing completion. This case pertains to the killing of a British national in Sabarkantha district during the riots.

In at least three cases of Godhra, Ode and Prantij, the trials are complete.