2002 Naroda Patiya case: SC grants bail to four convicts
The Supreme Court has granted bail to four convicts in the Naroda Patiya massacre case in Gujarat in which 97 people, most of them from a minority community, were killed by a mob during the 2002 riots in the state. The bail was granted by the bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar yesterday. The rioting had taken place on February 28, 2002.
Gujarat HC had acquitted Maya Kodnani, 16 others last year
The bench granted bail to the four convicts, Umeshbhai Surabhai Bharwad, Rajkumar, Padmendrasinh Jaswantsinh Rajput and Harshad alias Mungda Jila Govind Chhara Parmar. The Gujarat High Court had on April 20 last year upheld the conviction of 12 out of the 29 accused who were pronounced guilty on various charges by the trial court and had acquitted 17 others, including former BJP-minister Maya Kodnani.
Riots started after the torching of Sabarmati Express at Godhra
The rioting had taken place in the Naroda Patiya area where a mob had killed over 90 people. The massacre had taken place a day after the torching of the Sabarmati Express at Godhra, which had triggered state-wide riots. The Naroda Patiya riot lasted for over 10 hours, during which the mob looted, stabbed, sexually assaulted, gang-raped and burned people individually and in groups.
