Naroda Patiya Judgment: Everything you need to know
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- Current News
- Saturday, 01 September 2012 18:17
- Published on Saturday, 01 September 2012 18:17
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Gujarat Global News Network, Ahmedabad
The judgment in the decade old Naroda Patiya case has been delivered. 32 people, including sitting BJP MLA Maya Kodnani and VHP leader Babu Bajrangi has been convicted for murder.
We bring to you, all the important facts; you need to know about the case.
The case:
In the after math of the Godhra train carnage, anti Muslim riots took place all over Gujarat in Feb 2002. On February 28, at Naroda Patiya, a mob of 5000 people, robbed, raped and killed 97 people belonging to the Muslim community. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Naroda, Maya Kodnani, Bajrang Dal's Babu Bajrangi we accused of inciting the mob and leading the attack on the Muslims.
Investigation and trial:
The initial investigation was conducted by the Gujarat police in the case. But the probe was handed over to the Supreme Court appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) in 2008.
The trial for the Naroda Patiya massacre began in August 2009 and charges were framed against 62 accused. As many as 327 witnesses including eye witnesses, victims, doctors, police personnel, government officials, forensic experts and journalists like Ashish Khetan, who conducted a TV sting operation on the accused, were examined by the court.
The case was probed by eight investigating officers over the last decade. The present investigating officer was Himanshu Shukla, on behalf of the SIT. The SIT has probed nine cases of Gujarat riots, including the Godhra train burning case.
The Sting Operation:
In 2007, Tehelka carried out a sting operation titled ‘Operation Kalank’ in which it secretly recorded, the confession of various 2002 riot accused across Gujarat.
The three Naroda Patia accused also figured in the sting operation, in which they boasted of their participation in the massacre.
In the sting operation Bajrangi had boasted of how he had collected bombs and guns and mobilised a group to massacre the Muslims in the Ahmedabad locality on Feb 28, 2002.
The accused:
Maya Kodnani:
The court has called Maya Kodnani, sitting MLA from Naroda and former Women and Child Development minister in the Narendra Modi cabinet, as the kingpin of the riots. “Kodnani has played the role of one of the principal conspirators and the kingpin of the communal riots,” the court said.
Kodnani, a three-time MLA from Naroda area who was considered to be close to Chief Minister Narendra Modi, is the first woman to be convicted in a post-Godhra riots case. Kodnani is a gynecologist by profession and is married to a fellow Sindhi general physician,Surendra Kodnani. Maya had graduated as an MBBS from Ahmedabad and later earned a DG (Diploma in Gynecology). She first became councillor from Naroda in 1995.
Babu Bajrangi:
Babubhai Patel alias Babu Bajrangi is a leader of the Gujarat-wing of the Bajrang Dal. He is the main accused in the Nardoa Patiya case along with BJP MLA Maya Kodnani.
A land broker, Babu became known as Bajrangi because of his aggressive activities with the Bajrang Dal. Bajrangi claimed that he had formed an organisation in 2000 called Navchetana and ‘rescued’ almost 1000 Hindu girls from converting to Islam.
He was president of the city unit of Bajrang Dal. Later disowned by the Bajrang Dal, he joined the Shiv Sena. He landed in big trouble when he owned up responsibility in a sting operation conducted by a national level magazine. He admitted before a hidden camera that he felt like Maharana Pratap after killing Muslims.
The verdict:
Maya has got 28 years in prison — 10 years under Section 326 of the IPC (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) to be followed by 18 years for murder and other charges.
Babu Bajrangi, will pend his remaining life in jail. He has been sentenced to life imprisonment but the court ordered that he will remain in prison all his life. Seven of the convicts were sentenced to life imprisonment but, in their case too, the 21-year life-term for murder will follow 10 years spent in prison for charges under Section 326 of the IPC.
The rest of the 22 people convicted in the massacre case will have to spend a minimum of 24 years in jail — 10 years on other charges to be followed by 14 years for murder.
The court termed Kodnani, the ‘kingpin’ behind the massacre. “Kodnani has played the role of one of the principal conspirators and the kingpin of the communal riots,” the court said.
About Babu Bajrangi, the court said: “Bajrangi is the one who was proved to have been present and participated in the worst occurrence of the entire day, from where the highest death toll was reported,” the court said.
In its verdict, the court has clarified that Kodnani would not be eligible for remission of sentence by the government until she had served 18 years in jail. Seven convicts who have been sentenced to 21 years jail term will not be eligible for any remission.
The court also sentenced Suresh alias Langdo Chhara to a further 10 years imprisonment for rape. It further observed that though the role of the accused in rape and sexual assault on women had not come to the fore during the trial, it had actually happened that day.
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