2002 Gujarat riots: Ahmedabad court acquits all accused in Naroda Gam massacre case
Former Gujarat minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Maya Kodnani and Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi are among the 86 accused who are on trial in the case. Of the 86 accused, as many as 18 died in the intervening period.
FollowA special court in Ahmedabad on Thursday (April 20) acquitted all accused, including former minister Maya Kodnani and Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi of murder, criminal conspiracy and rioting in the Naroda Gam massacre of 11 Muslims during the 2002 Godhra riots.
Special judge Shubhada Baxi announced the verdict around 5:30 pm and welcomed outside the court by chants of "Jai Shree Ram" and "Bharat Mata ki Jai" by the relatives of the accused.
The Naroda Gam massacre case was among the nine major riots in Gujarat following the burning of the Sabarmati Express in Godhra on February 27, 2002, in which a speedy day-to-day trial was ordered. The trials were committed to designated courts, and monitored by the Supreme Court, yet the Naroda Gam case has taken years to reach a verdict.
Former Gujarat minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Maya Kodnani and Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi are among the 86 accused who are on trial in the case. Of the 86 accused, as many as 18 died in the intervening period.
On February 28, 2002, as many as 11 persons were killed in communal violence in Naroda Gam area of Ahmedabad city during a 'bandh' called to protest the Godhra train burning a day before in which 58 passengers, mostly Karsevaks returning from Ayodhya, were killed.
The prosecution and defence examined 187 and 57 witnesses, respectively, during the trial that started in 2010 and went on for nearly 13 years with six judges successively presiding over the case, said special prosecutor Suresh Shah.
In September 2017, senior BJP leader (now Union Home Minister) Amit Shah appeared as a defence witness for Maya Kodnani.
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Kodnani had requested the court to summon him to prove her alibi that she was present in the Gujarat Assembly and later at the Sola Civil Hospital and not at Naroda Gam where the massacre took place.
Among the evidence produced by the prosecution is the video of a sting operation carried out by journalist Ashish Khetan as well as call details of Kodnani, Bajrangi and others during the relevant period.
