By TCN News,
London: It took nine years for court to deliver verdict on Godhra train burning case but it has opened debate among the people as several social and human rights activists are raising questions on the verdict from legal and technical angles. The Council of Indian Muslims—UK (CIM) criticized the special court’s verdict in Godhra case that awarded death penalty to 11 accused and life sentence to 20 others convicted in the case.
CIM-UK Chairman Munaf Zeena termed the verdict as most bizarre and ignoble judgment in Indian legal history. “This must be the most bizarre and ignoble judgment in Indian legal history in which such harsh sentences have been passed on the basis of dubious evidences” he added.
The S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express was set on fire on February 27, 2002 near Godhra in which 59 people mostly karsevaks returning from Ayodhya were killed. This became instrument for fascist Hindus to kill thousands of Muslims, to burn them alive, to rape Muslim women and to loot and destroy properties of millions. The incident, the bloodiest anti-Muslim riots in the history of India, brought disrepute to the country but Chief Minister Narendera Modi unashamedly justified these crimes by saying, “every action has its reaction.”
However, police arrested 94 Muslims in the Godhra train case. They spent nine years in the jail. The case was being heard in Sabarmati Jail of Ahmadabad for security reason by Justice P R Patel. On February 22, the judge acquitted 63 of them and convicted 31. On March 1 he awarded 11 of them with death sentences and 20 with life imprisonment.
The most interesting part of the case is that the court gave clean chit to the allegedly mastermind and main conspirator of the train burning – Maulvi Umarji – but held guilty those who, according to prosecution, helped the Maulvi.