Gujarat HC acquits Maya Kodnani from Naroda Patiya riot case 2002

The Gujarat High Court has cleared ex-minister and BJP leader Maya Kodnani today of charges against her in the brutal riot case of Naroda Patiya which happened in 2002. A special court had earlier sentenced Kodnani to 28 years of imprisonment for having a strong connection in one of the worst massacres of India’s modern history against the Muslim community in Gujarat.

But the court has upheld the punishment of another convict Babu Bajrangi, a leader of the Bajrang Dal, an affiliate of BJP's ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS. A special court for SIT cases had sentenced him to life imprisonment with a condition of remission.

The riots in Naroda Patiya, a suburb of Ahmedabad, happened on 28 February 2002 which reportedly killed 97 people from the Muslim community. The bloodbath continued for three days and it followed the Godhra train burning of February 27, 2002, in which 59 Hindu volunteers were killed.

ALSO READ: HC Rejects CBI’s Death Penalty Request For Guj Riots Convicts

The Supreme Court appointed a Special Investigation Team to probe the case and in 2012 a special court convicted 32 people including Kodnani and Bajrangi. The SIT claimed that a day after the Godhra incident, gynaecologist Kodnani spread hate through her speeches to provoke people against Muslims. 11 witnesses confirmed her presence at the spot and said that she gave swords to rioters, incited them to attack Muslims and at one point fired a pistol.

The special court went ahead and called her "one of the kingpins" of the riot. "She (Kodnani) has played a role of instigating the Hindu mobs, thereby abetting the commission of offences by the co-conspirators. She has abetted formation of unlawful assembly to execute the conspiracy," the court had said, Firstpost reported.

A trial court had said that she organised mass killings.

She (Kodnani) has played a role of instigating the Hindu mobs, thereby abetting the commission of offences by the co-conspirators. She has abetted formation of unlawful assembly to execute the conspiracy

However, the High Court observed that all the 11 witnesses did not name her when the police was registering riot cases. They said that they had seen Kodnani coming out of her car to talk to the police. The court said "no criminal conspiracy could be established".

A number of high court judges, including justices Akil Kureshi, MR Shah, KS Jhaveri, GB Shah, Sonia Gokani and RH Shukla recused themselves from the case during the hearing on the appeals.

In 2007, Kodnani became the Minister for Woman and Child Development by then Chief Minister Narendra Modi. She held the ministry till her arrest in 2009.

ALSO READ: BJP’s Nupur Sharma In Dock For Passing Off 2002 Godhra Pics For Bengal Riots

Picture credit- Hindustan Times

More Stories by Poorvi Gupta