Godhara case: SIT court awards life terms to 2 more accused, acquit 3 others

Ahmedabad:

The SIT court hearing sensational Sabarmati Express burning case of Godhara today awarded life terms to two more accused while acquitted 3 others.

Pronouncing his verdict in the special court in Sabarmati jail here judge H C Vora pronounced lifer for Farukh Bhana and Imran alias Sheru Bhatku. The court however acquitted Hussain Suleman, Kasam Bhemedi and Faruk Dhantiya.

Notably these five were among six of the accused who were absconding at the time of verdict of the SIT court in the case pertaining to the burning of S-6 coach of Sabarmati express on February 27, 2002 killing 59 karsevaks (a day after which state-wide riots erupted in reaction ). All of them were residents of Godhara and were on a run for over a decade after the incident. One of them Kadir Patelia had died of heart-attack. They were caught at different times and places in 2015-16. Bhatku was nabbed in 2016 from Malegaon in Maharashtra while Bhana was caught a year ago in 2015 from his home in Godhara itself.

In March 2011, the special trial court had convicted 31 persons and acquitted 63 others of the total 94 accused at that time, of whom 11 were sentenced to death and the remaining 20 awarded life in prison.

In October 2017, the Gujarat High Court had however commuted the death sentence awarded to 11 accused to life imprisonment. It also upheld the life imprisonment awarded to 20 other convicts while endorsing the acquittal of 63 other accused.

DeshGujarat