Naroda case...

2012 judgment of the special SIT court, the division bench of Justices Harsha Devani and A. S. Supahia on Friday convicted 16 people including Bajrangi, and acquitted 18 others, including Ms Kodnani.

Out of the 16 convicts, all except one have been sentenced to 21 years of rigorous imprisonment. One person has been sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment.

Three of these had been acquitted by the trial court.

Out of the 61 accused in the case, the special SIT court had, in August 2012, held 32 guilty, and acquitted 29. The high court today

acquitted 18 of the 32, and upheld conviction of 13. One of those convicted by the trial court died.

The quantum of sentence of other three persons who were convicted for the first time on Friday will be pronounced on May 9, the division bench said.

The high court found Bajrangi guilty of criminal conspiracy along with two other convicts, Prakash Rathod and Suresh Jhala. Their conviction was based on the statements of five witnesses who said the three were present at the crime site.

The high court said it was accepting the oral evidence of journalist Ashish Khetan, who had carried out a sting operation on these three convicts. The court said it did not accept the findings of the sting operation, but relied upon five witnesses whose consistent statements established that Bajrangi was present at the site of the incident throughout the day.

The court, however, reduced Bajrangi’s sentence from “jail till his natural life” to 21 years’ rigorous imprisonment, for maintaining parity with punishment given to other convicts.