Naroda Patiya: Order on sentencing adjourned
The Gujarat High Court adjourned the pronouncement of the quantum of sentence of three convicts in the 2002 Naroda Patiya case.
A division bench of justices Harsha Devani and A S Supehia posted the matter for further hearing on June 19, when lawyers of the convicts would start fresh arguments on the quantum of sentence.
In the previous hearing on May 9, the high court had adjourned the matter and kept it for today after the convicts made a submission that they were not properly represented and needed their lawyers to argue afresh over the quantum.
The
three
convicts--P
J
Rajput,
Rajkumar
Chaumal
and
Umesh
Bharwad--were
earlier
acquitted
by
a
special
SIT
court,
along
with
29
others,
in
a
verdict
delivered
in
2012.
However,
the
high
court,
while
hearing
appeals,
found
these
three
guilty
on
April
20.
The
high
court
had
upheld
the
acquittal
of
29
others.
The division bench had reserved its order on their quantum of sentence.
On April 20, the high court had acquitted former BJP minister Maya Kodnani and upheld the conviction of former Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi in the 2002 Naroda Patiya case in which 97 people, mostly from the minority community, were killed in the post-Godhra riots.
The HC had upheld the conviction of 16 people, including Bajrangi, and acquitted 18 others, including Kodnani.