The Supreme Court on Monday granted six months extension to a Gujarat court to complete trial in the Naroda Gaon violence, which is the last and ninth 2002 post Godhra riots case waiting to be brought to justice.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur took on record the submission made by Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) Chairman and former CBI Director R.K. Raghavan that the case would be wrapped up in six months.
The court was informed that the investigator officer in the case, pertaining to the killing 11 people by a mob, is being cross-examined. When asked the number of witnesses in the case, amicus curiae and senior advocate Harish Salve said there were about 300 defence witnesses waiting to be examined.
“That may need some time,” Chief Justice Thakur remarked.
Mr. Salve said that judgments had been pronounced in the other eight Godhra riots cases, and appeals are pending in the High Court.
“Were there any convictions?” asked the Chief Justice. “There were a large number of convictions,” Mr. Salve responded.
Eleven persons belonging to a Minority community were killed at Naroda Gaon in 2002 riots during a bandh called in protest of the Godhra train burning incident. A total of 82 persons are facing trial in the case.
Of the nine cases once monitored by the Supreme Court, a special court, in June 2016, had convicted 24 persons in the Gulberg society riots case in which 68 people, including former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, were killed.
The apex court, on February 22, 2016, had paved the way for pronouncement of judgment by Ahmedabad trial court in various cases including the Gulberg Society massacre case.
