Gujarat High Court acquits three in 2002 post-Godhra riots case, cites lack of ‘reliable evidence'
A Bench of Justice Gita Gopi overturned the May 29, 2006, judgment by a fast-track court in Anand, which had sentenced Sachin Patel, Ashok Patel, and Ashok Gupta to five years of rigorous imprisonment.
'The learned trial court judge had erred in the appreciation of the evidence. The conviction was not based on reliable and corroborative evidence. The identification of the accused has not been proved during the trial,' the High Court said in its order passed on Monday (July 28, 2025).
The case related to violence that broke out a day after two coaches of the Sabarmati Express were set on fire at Godhra station on February 27, 2002, killing 59 people and triggering widespread riots in Gujarat.
According to the prosecution, the three appellants were part of a mob that gathered in a locality in Anand, damaged shops, and set some of them on fire, allegedly violating prohibitory orders issued by the district magistrate under Section 135 of the Bombay Police Act.
Of the nine people who faced trial in the case, four were convicted and given five-year sentences under Indian Penal Code provisions for rioting, arson, and unlawful assembly. One of the convicts died in 2009.
The High Court observed that the prosecution failed to establish whether the appellants were members of an unlawful assembly or had committed acts of arson.
'None of their acts in prosecution of the common object – of setting things on fire and damaging the private and public property – has been proved during the trial,' the court noted.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Public outcry doesn't lessen seriousness of offence: Delhi HC
Public outcry and media coverage do not lessen the seriousness of an offence, the Delhi High Court has said while denying bail to a man accused of raping and murdering his eight-year-old cousin. (HT Archive) The man was booked under various provisions of Indian Penal Code including murder, kidnapping, and Section 6 (penetrative sexual assault) of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012. The FIR, filed in 2016, was based on a complaint by the victim's father, who reported that his daughter had been abducted while playing outside their home. Police learned that the accused had raped the girl, strangled her, concealed her body in a plastic bag, and buried it in a pit. In his bail petition, the man said he was falsely implicated in the case under public pressure and glare of media trial. He said he had already spent more than nine years in jail and there was no likelihood of the trial to conclude in the near future. The Delhi police, represented by additional public prosecutor Amit Ahlawat, said there had been no delay in trial and four out of 20 witnesses had supported prosecution's case. The complainant's lawyer opposed the bail asserting that the accused's family members had been threatening him. Rejecting the man's contention, justice Girish Kathpalia in his ruling delivered on Friday, said , 'The broad picture recorded above shows the gruesome manner in which an eight-year-old girl was raped and killed, that too by her own cousin. Merely because there was public outcry and media coverage of the incident, gravity of offence does not get diminished.' In its five-page ruling, the judge said the man exploited the relationship of trust between the cousins in a 'brutal manner.' 'One also cannot ignore that a relationship of trust between the cousins was exploited by the accused/applicant and in such a brutal manner,' the court said.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Man murdered by friend; accused tried to mislead police
A 33-year-old man was brutally murdered by his friend in Handewadi in the early hours of Saturday. The accused initially attempted to mislead the police by fabricating a story about an attack by unidentified assailants. The incident took place between 3 am and 3:30 am outside a tin shed near Saiganga Society on Undri-Handewadi Road. The deceased has been identified as Ravikumar Yadav, who ran a mattress and pillow shop in the area. Acting on the call, a team from the Kalepadal police outpost reached the spot and found Yadav lying in a pool of blood. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC) Within two hours of the crime, police arrested the accused, Kisan Rajmangal Shah (20), a native of Bihar who currently works at a nursery in the city. According to police officials, the accused made a call to the emergency helpline (Dial 112) at around 4:52 am, claiming that his friend had been attacked by four unidentified men on a motorcycle. He alleged that the attackers struck Yadav on the head with an iron rod before fleeing the scene. Acting on the call, a team from the Kalepadal police outpost reached the spot and found Yadav lying in a pool of blood. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead. SPI Mansing Patil of Kalepadal police station said, 'We noticed inconsistencies in the accused's version. Upon reviewing CCTV footage from the area, we found no evidence supporting his claim. Under sustained interrogation, he confessed to killing Yadav following an argument during a liquor session.' The police have arrested Shah and booked him for murder under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. Further investigation is underway to determine the exact motive behind the killing.
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Kerala Nuns Get Bail In Chhattisgarh 'Conversion, Trafficking' Case
Last Updated: After reviewing the evidence and arguments, the NIA court found grounds to grant conditional bail A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, has granted conditional bail to Sister Sujata and Sister Anisha, two Catholic nuns from Kerala, along with Santosh Baghel, a tribal youth from Chhattisgarh. Their arrest had previously sparked controversy and allegations of political grandstanding, particularly surrounding issues of religious conversions and communal tensions in the region. The trio was apprehended in mid-July following complaints of forced religious conversions among tribal communities in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region. The case, filed under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), prompted outrage from Christian organisations and human rights activists, who argued that the arrests were baseless and politically motivated. Critics claimed that certain factions were exploiting controversial anti-conversion laws to target missionaries and tribal individuals. After reviewing the evidence and arguments, the NIA court found grounds to grant conditional bail. Although the specific conditions were not immediately disclosed, they typically include restrictions such as not leaving the district without court permission, cooperating with the investigation, and avoiding tampering with evidence or influencing witnesses. The granting of bail indicates that the court did not find sufficient prima facie evidence to justify their continued incarceration for terror-related offences or recognised the potential for undue hardship due to the nature of the accusations. Conditional bail was granted to three people in the case, defence lawyer Amrito Das confirmed, according to a report by PTI. Speaking with the news agency, petitioner's advocate B Gopakumar said some bail conditions were also put up, including that, 'they will not be able to go abroad, they will have to surrender the passport, they should not influence the witness." view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
