GODHRA VERDICT IS OUT

[Agnostic_Indian]

MAIN POINTS-

*GODHRA TRAIN BURNING WAS WAS PRE PLANNED.
*MAIN ACCUSED MAULANA UMAR IS ACQUITTED FOR LACK OF EVIDENCE.


*31 CONVICTED
*63 ACQUITTED

*HEARING ON QUANTUM OF PUNISHMENT IS ON FRIDAY.
*sorry if this is on the wrong section

 

[KS]

First step in getting justice.

 

[Agnostic_Indian]

Ahmedabad : A special court in Ahmedabad has given verdict in the 2002 Godhra train burning case , convicting 31 people under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and acquitting 63 of those accused . Quantum of punishment will be announced on February 25 . The court pronounced judgment on the role of over 90 people accused of conspiring and burning the S - 6 coach of the Sabarmati Express on February 27 , 2002 . Fifty -nine people, mostly Kar Sewaks returning from Ayodhya, were killed in the incident. The court has upheld that there was a conspiracy behind the attack on the S -6 coach of the Sabarmati Express . The other theory was that it was a spontaneous riot situation fuelled by an altercation between Kar Sevaks and Muslim vendors at Godhra station in Gujarat. The verdict was pronounced at Ahmedabad' s Sabarmati Central Jail , where the trial was held. A mob of around 1 ,000 people had targeted the S -6 coach of the train at the Godhra station on that February day in 2002 . The death of the 59 people triggered the worst communal riots in the history of Independent India . Close to 1 ,200 people , mostly Muslims , were killed in these riots in Gujarat.
Godhra train burning verdict: 31 convicted, 63 acquitted

 

[rockstarIN]

Godhra braces for 2002 train burning verdict

AHMEDABAD: After a delay of nine years, sessions judge P R Patel on Tuesday has finally given his verdict in the Godhra case.

31 accused out of total 95 have been convicted for burning the S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express and killing 59 passengers, mostly kar sevaks returning from Ayodhya on February 27, 2002, at Godhra.

The rest of the 63 accused have been let off.

The court will pronounce the quantum of sentence on Feb 25.

The incident sparked off communal riots in Gujarat which lasted for more than four months and nearly 1,200 people, mostly Muslims, were killed.

The case saw a lot of controversy from the beginning and was finally investigated by a special investigation team headed by ex-CBI director RK Raghavan, under the direct supervision of the Supreme Court.

The police said the conspiracy charges sections to the Godhra train burning accused nearly 10 days after the incident, suspecting there was an ISI hand. Nearly 134 people, including five under 18 years were booked under Pota, and this became Gujarat's first case under the anti-terror law. After Pota was repealed the charges were dropped from this case in 2005 on a recommendation by the Central Pota review committee.

The conspiracy theory in the case mainly stands on confessions of accused and witnesses taken under section 164 of CrPC and under section 32 of Pota. Two inquiries on the incident concluded differently on how the fire happened. A commission set up by the Centre under Justice UC Banerjee said the fire was caused from inside the coach.

Read more: Godhra braces for 2002 train burning verdict - The Times of India Godhra braces for 2002 train burning verdict - The Times of India

 

[fallstuff]

Godhra train burning verdict: 31 convicted, 63 acquitted


Ahmedabad: A special court in Ahmedabad has given verdict in the 2002 Godhra train burning case, convicting 31 people under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and acquitting 63 of those accused. Quantum of punishment will be announced on February 25.

The court pronounced judgment on the role of over 90 people accused of conspiring and burning the S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express on February 27, 2002. Fifty-nine people, mostly Kar Sewaks returning from Ayodhya, were killed in the incident.

The court has upheld that there was a conspiracy behind the attack on the S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express. The other theory was that it was a spontaneous riot situation fuelled by an altercation between Kar Sevaks and Muslim vendors at Godhra station in Gujarat. The verdict was pronounced at Ahmedabad's Sabarmati Central Jail, where the trial was held.

A mob of around 1,000 people had targeted the S-6 coach of the train at the Godhra station on that February day in 2002. The death of the 59 people triggered the worst communal riots in the history of Independent India. Close to 1,200 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in these riots in Gujarat.

Initial police investigations indicated that it could have been a spontaneous riot situation, but a Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up later claimed that the act was pre-planned.

This first SIT, led by IPS officer Rakesh Asthana, said in its report that a cleric, Maulvi Umarji, had ordered four lieutenants to mobilise a mob at the station to target the S-6 bogey that was carrying Kar Sewaks.

In saying so, the SIT report backed Chief Minister Narendra Modi's statements on that day calling it a "pre-planned massacre". Modi has been accused of making those statements to create anti-Muslim sentiment.

There were allegations that investigations were biased both in the Godhra case and in the Gujarat riots cases, and the Supreme Court finally ordered another SIT investigation in 2008, this time under RK Raghavan. On Godhra, this SIT too endorsed the findings of the earlier SIT.

Trial in the case began in June 2009 with the framing of the charges against the accused, who have been in Sabarmati jail since 2002. All the accused in the case have been charged with criminal conspiracy and murder.

After completion of the hearing last September, the verdict could not be given as there was a Supreme Court stay on it. This stay was lifted on October 26, 2010.

Security is tight in Gujarat. Special State Reserve Police Force personnel have been deployed in sensitive cities of Gujarat, particularly in communally sensitive places in Godhra and Ahmedabad.

link:

Godhra train burning verdict: 31 convicted, 63 acquitted

 

[KS]

^^^ ToI and its stupid journalism.

The incident sparked off communal riots in Gujarat which lasted for more than four months and nearly 1,200 people, mostly Muslims, were killed.

790 Muslims, about 320 Hindus killed and the main riots were contained in about 3 days.

The death of the 59 people triggered the worst communal riots in the history of Independent India.

Someone probably wants to forget the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots.

 

[GUNS-N- ROSES]

good step. now punish the guilty.

 

[Agnostic_Indian]

The bigger problem is our investigators and judiciary's inability to give timely verdicts..many innocents lost 9 years of their precious life..including a boy who was blind

 

[Agnostic_Indian]

BJP welcomes verdict on Godhra train burning case 22 Feb, 2011 1433 hrs IST PTI NEW DELHI : The BJP today welcomed the Gujarat special court verdict convicting 31 accused in the 2002 Godhra train burning case and said it had " exposed the nefarious designs" of the UPA government which " tried to cover up" the entire episode . " Certainly , there has been a degree of assurance that law and justice has prevailed. There were elements who were trying to belittle it . There have been politicians who tried to abuse it ," BJP spokesman Ravishankar Prasad told reporters . He slammed the Justice U C Banerjee Committee report, which found that the fire was lit from inside the coach .read more..
www.m.timesofindia.com/PDATOI/articleshow/7547112.cms

 

[arihant]

The decision on Post-Godhra should follow on. We need to bring balance. Hopefully people like Togadia and all those bastard can also be put behind the jails.

 

[KS]

^^^ The thing is that will take another decade to navigate the swamps of the Indian judicial system and if BJP comes to power anytime in between add another 5 years to it.

But this verdict is a pie in the face of the Lalu Yadav and the stupid UC Banerjee commission he constituted to prepare a report to pander his votebank.

 

[angel eyes]

Justice finally delivered!! So goodbye to all conspiracy theories which stated that the train caught fire due to blast in cylinder or stove when some karsewaks were trying to cook food and all that crap.

 

[arihant]

Well there is no doubt in two things. 1.) Train was burnt with some objectives 2.) State Officials or Hindus were involved in post Godra riots.

We achieved first ladder, if we can't get the second one, than its shame on our democracy and judiciary.

Basically I don't have love and affection with Congress or BJP but would like that Gujarat (it's my state) give Justice unlike Delhi which kept the sikhs under dark even after 26 years.

 

[Agnostic_Indian]

judiciary needs immediate attention..
1)there has been allegations on many retired judges which needs to bed investigated.

2) system of appointing judges is to be changed
3)more courts,judges and complete computerization is needed.
4)there must be some time limit for a person to be imprisoned who is awaiting trial.

 

[Soumitra]

But this verdict is a pie in the face of the Lalu Yadav and the stupid UC Banerjee commission he constituted to prepare a report to pander his votebank.

"Certainly, there has been a degree of assurance that law and justice has prevailed. There were elements who were trying to belittle it. There have been politicians who tried to abuse it," BJP spokesman Ravishankar Prasad told reporters.

He slammed the Justice U C Banerjee Committee report, which found that the fire was lit from inside the coach.

The Banerjee Committee, appointed by then Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav to probe the causes of fire in the Sabarmati Express in Godhra, had found that the fire was "accidental."

"You remember the Banerjee commission report. A retired judge of Supreme Court gave a collusive report that the fire was lit from inside," Prasad told reporters outside Parliament.

"It was a sham report at the time of 2005 elections," he added.

Read more: BJP welcomes verdict on Godhra train burning case - The Times of India BJP welcomes verdict on Godhra train burning case - The Times of India