NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to eight convicts sentenced to life imprisonment for their involvement in the 2002 Godhra train burning, in which 59 people were killed. While granting bail, a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha considered the period of imprisonment undergone by them (17-18 years) and the fact that there was no likelihood of their appeals being taken up for disposal at an early date.
The convicts who were granted bail are Abdul Sattar Ibrahim Gaddi Asla, Yunus Abdul Hakk Samol, Mohammad Hanif Abdulla Moulvi Badam, Abdul Rauf Abdul Majid Isa, Ibrahim Abdulrazak Abdul Sattar Samol, Ayub Abdul Gani Ismail Pataliya, Soheb Yusuf Ahmed Kalandar and Suleman Ahmad Hussain The SC, however, refused to grant bail to four others Anwar Mohammad Mehda, Saukat Abdulla Moulvi Ismail Badam, Mehboob Yakub Mitha and Siddik Mohammad Mora — after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta opposed their applications citing their role in the incident.
“From one of them, an iron pipe was recovered and from another a dhariya (a weapon that looks like sickle). Another convict was found purchasing, storing, and carrying petrol used for burning the coach. The last one attacked the passengers, causing injuries, and looted them,” said Mehta, appearing for the Gujarat government.
The eight convicts who were granted bail by the SC on Friday were among the 20 who were sentenced to a life term in prison by the trial court. Their sentence was later upheld by the Gujarat HC. The four who were denied bail on Friday by the SC were among the 11 convicts who were originally given the death penalty by the trial court but the sentence was commuted to life by the Gujarat HC.
Ongoing court procedure
Out of 31 convicted, 11 were sentenced to death by the trial court and 20 were given life sentences. Later, Gujarat HC commuted the death sentence of 11 to a life term. The state government’s appeal against the HC order is still pending
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