The Case So Far
A division bench of Justices Harsha Devani and AS Supehiya which will pronounce the verdict in the Naroda Patiya case on Friday, 20 April. The bench had earlier reserved the order on the appeal of convicts in August 2017.
Five years earlier, in 2012, a special trial court for SIT cases had sentenced 32 people, including former BJP minister Maya Kodnani, to life imprisonment.
While Kodnani is currently out on bail, the trial court had held that she was the mastermind of the violence in the Naroda area. Another high-profile accused, former Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi, was sentenced to life imprisonment till death.
Kodnani was sentenced to 28 years of life imprisonment.
Seven accused were given enhanced life imprisonment of 21 years, which they will serve after undergoing 10 years’ imprisonment under Section 326 (causing grievous hurt) of the Indian Penal Code.
The remaining accused were given simple life imprisonment (14 years). The trial court also acquitted 29 other accused for want of evidence.
While the convicts challenged the lower court's order in the High Court, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) appealed against the acquittal of 29 persons.
During the course of hearing, the High Court judges had visited the site of the incident in Naroda Patiya – where 97 Muslims were murdered – to understand its topography.
A number of High Court judges, including Justices Akil Kureshi, MR Shah, KS Jhaveri, GB Shah, Sonia Gokani and RH Shukla, recused themselves from the case during the hearing on appeals.
(With inputs from PTI)
If They Are Innocent, Did We Kill Our Children?: Riots Victim
Speaking after the verdict, a victim of the Naroda Patiya riots addressed a press conference, saying:
8 members of our family were killed before our eyes. If they are innocent, did we kill our children? Maya Kodnani has been declared innocent, 2 years later Babu Bajrangi will be acquitted.
'Witness Testimonies Contradicted on Maya Kodnani's Presence'
Prashant Desai, the special public prosecutor in the 2002 Naroda Patiya riot case told the ANI that "eleven witnesses gave different statements on Maya Kodnani's presence at the location but there were some contradictions."
HC Was Not Convinced With Evidence Against Kodnani: Majeed Memon
Senior lawyer and Rajya Sabha member Majeed Memon said that the Gujarat High Court must have not found the evidence compelling enough against Maya Kodnani to reverse the trial court verdict in the Naroda Patiya riot case.