Godhra train burning: SC fixes first week of May for final hearing on criminal appeals

A bench of Justices J. K. Maheshwari and Aravind Kumar could not take up the matter for hearing due to paucity of time.

The Justice Maheshwari-led Bench, at an earlier occasion, had expressed displeasure about the parties seeking adjournment.

Remarking that the apex court had deferred the hearing several times in the past, it had posted the matter highest on the board on February 13 for hearing after much reluctance. The apex court had then clarified that remission has to be considered by the appropriate government irrespective of the pendency of the appeal.

In February 2002, 59 people were killed when a coach of the train was burnt at Gujarat's Godhra, triggering riots in the state. In March 2011, the trial court convicted 31 persons, of whom 11 were sentenced to death and 20 to life. The court also acquitted 63 accused.

In October 2017, the Gujarat High Court upheld the conviction of all but commuted the death sentence of the 11 to life imprisonment. The convicts have filed criminal appeals against conviction, and the Gujarat government has also appealed against the commutation of the death penalty to a life sentence.

The Supreme Court, in August 2023, dismissed the bail pleas of three convicts, who were engaged in stone pelting or robbing of gold ornaments as per the findings of the trial court. It denied the relief considering the specific roles attributed to them and dismissed applications seeking bail till their appeal was decided by the top court. It had clarified that dismissal of their application for release will not prejudice the merits of their appeal pending in the Supreme Court. Earlier in April 2023, the top court had granted bail to eight convicts while rejecting the same to four others.