HC upholds life term for 14, acquits four

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court on Friday upheld the life imprisonment handed to 14 accused and acquitted four others in the Ode massacre case in which 23 people were killed during the communal riots in 2002.

A special trial court had held the 23 accused guilty in 2012. Eighteen were sentenced to life imprisonment and five others were handed seven years in jail. The high court confirmed seven years’ jail for the five but acquitted four of the 18 sentenced to life imprisonment by the lower court.

Public prosecutor Shruti Pathak said , “Upholding the life term given to 14 convicts, a division bench observed that it was a case of senseless violence and loss of human lives. Life term of four accused has been reversed. Dilip Patel, Poonam Patel, Natu Patel and Vallabh Patel (who died during the course of trial) were acquitted for want of evidence.”

After their conviction in 2012, the 23 of the total 47 accused had moved the high court, challenging the trial court’s verdict.

The Supreme Court-appointed special investigation team (SIT) probing the riot cases also moved the HC challenging the acquittals in the case. The SIT had also demanded enhancement of sentences of the five convicts who were handed seven years in jail.

The probe team had also sought capital punishment for all the accused found guilty of murder. Their appeals were rejected by the high court in its judgment. Hearing in the case had concluded this April.

Twenty-three Muslims were burnt alive at Ode in Anand district on March 1, 2002, two days after the Sabarmati train carnage at Godhra railway station where 58 kar sevaks were killed.

The special court in 2012 had observed the conspiracy angle in the case, saying locals had tried to block roads to prevent entry of fire fighters. Over 200 houses belonging to Muslim community members were burnt.