A designated court is likely to pronounce its verdict on Monday against 83 people, including a sitting Gujarat BJP MLA, accused of killing 11 members of a family at Dipda Darwaja area in Mehsana district during the 2002 post-Godhra riots.
“Designated Judge S.C. Srivastava is likely to pronounce the judgment in the case,” special prosecutor Mukesh K. Brahmabhatt said.
A mob had killed 11 members of a single family, including two children and a 65-year-old woman, on February 28, 2002 at Dipda Darwaja area of Visnagar town in Mehsana district.
Initially, charges had been framed against 83 accused, including three women, but later the court allowed the application of complainant Mohammad Iqbal Baloch, listing BJP MLA Prahlad Gosa and former police inspector of Visnagar town M.K. Patel, as additional accused in the case, taking the total number to 85.
However, one of the accused, against whom, charges were framed, was found to be minor at the time of the crime, following which, the court ordered his trial by a juvenile court, while one of the accused died during the course of trial.
Dipda Darwaja is the second case of rioting where among the accused there are three women who has been charged with murder and other crimes. In the rioting case of Naroda Patiya, Ahmedabad former state minister Maya Kodnani and other two women were tried by designated judge. Judgment in that case is likely to be pronounced on August 28, 2012.
“All the 83 accused of the Dipda Darwaja case have been charged under Sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempted murder), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 325 (causing grievous hurt with deadly weapons), 367 (kidnapping in order to cause grievous hurt) of Indian Penal Code among other sections,” Brahmabhatt said.
Dipda Darwaja is one of the nine cases, including the Godhra train burning case that was probed by the special investigation team (SIT) on orders of the Supreme Court.