Naroda Patiya case: SIT not to seek death to Maya Kodnani

[1]

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government has refused permission to the Supreme Court-appointed SIT to file an appeal in a higher court seeking death penalty for former minister Maya Kodnani in the Naroda Patiya riot case.
This was decided on the basis of advocate general Kamal Trivedi’s opinion that there was “no direct evidence” against her.
Maya Kodnani and Bajrang Dal activist Babu Bajrangi, along with 30 others, were convicted for life in the 2002 post-Godhra Naroda Patiya riot case, in which 96 people were killed. “State legal department, on the basis of advocate general’s opinion, has taken a decision not to file an appeal against the special court's order and not to seek death penalty for Maya Kodnani,” Prashant Desai, who has been appointed special prosecutor for special investigation team in Gujarat High Court for the case said.
“Advocate general has opined that there is no direct evidence against Maya Kodnani and she was convicted only on the basis of other evidence and hence state government should think not to seek death penalty in her case,” said Desai.
“However, the Gujarat government has given a go ahead to SIT to seek death penalty for Babu Bajrangi and four others.”