By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter
Gujarat High court on Tuesday granted bail to Atul Vaidya, a leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad who was convicted in the Gulbarg Society massacre.
Vaidya was convicted in June 2016, along with other 23 by Ahmedabad Special sessions court. A division bench led by justice Abhilasha Kumari gave the judgment while granting bail to the VHP leader, who had direct involvement in Gulbarg society massacre, a case in 2002 Gujarat riots.
Vaidya was convicted on the basis of testimonies of the eye-witnesses who have told court that Atul Vaidya, Kailash Dhobi and Jayesh Jinger were among those who dragged out congress legislator Ehsan Jafri from Gulbarg Society and hacked him to the death.
Vaidya, who has only spent one year behind the bar, has become the first convicted of the case who gets out on the bail. Court held that Vaidya had ‘already’ served one year in the jail. Vaidya was sentenced seven years of imprisonment on June 2, 2016.
Usually, a convict can get bail upon filing of an appeal against conviction. In most of the cases, appeal comes late for hearing, therefore the court is urged to suspend sentence pending hearing of appeal and to grant bail.
Zakia Jafri, wife of killed Ehsan Jafri had alleged the then chief minister of the state Narendra Modi for instigating the anti-Muslim riots. But Special Investigation Team constituted by Supreme Court gave him a clean chit. As for now, SIT is waiting for state government’s nod to re-question and challenge the acquittal of certain accused in the case.
Ehsan Jafri lost his life after a mob of nearly 20,000 men attacked Gulbarg Society. Apart from Ehsan Jafri, 68 other people too lost their life in the same incident.