Godhra judgement on Feb 22
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Ahmedabad: Nine years after torching of the Sabarmati Express near Godhra station that left 58 people dead, a Special Court here is set to deliver on Wednesday its judgement against 94 accused in the carnage that had triggered widespread communal riots in Gujarat.
Designated Judge P R Patel, who had completed hearing arguments of the prosecution and defence in September last year, will pronounce the judgement in the sensitive case. After completion of the hearing, the verdict could not be delivered in view of a Supreme Court stay, which was lifted on October 26, 2010.
The trial, conducted inside the Sabarmati Central Jail here, began in June 2009 with the framing of charges against 94 accused, who are in the high-security prison since 2002.
The accused have been charged with criminal conspiracy and murder in burning of the S-6 coach of the train on February 27, 2002 near Godhra, about 125 km from here.
Most of the deceased were karsevaks returning from Ayodhya. Following the incident, widespread communal riots broke out in various parts of the state in which over 1,000 people, mostly from the minority community, were killed.
As many as 253 witnesses were examined during the trial and over 1500 documentary evidences were presented before the court by the Gujarat police.
Initially there were 107 accused, of which five died during the pendency of the case, while eight others were juveniles, who were tried by a separate court.
Police have made elaborate security arrangements to maintain peace after judgement is pronounced.
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