HC acquits 14 more in Sardarpura riots case

Manas Dasgupta

Ahmedabad, October 20

The Gujarat High Court today acquitted 14 of the 31 persons convicted by a lower court in the Sardarpura massacre case in which 33 persons belonging to the minority community were burnt alive in the north Gujarat village after the Godhra train carnage.

A Division Bench comprising Justices Harsha Devani and Biren Vaishnav, however, confirmed the conviction of the remaining 17 held guilty by the special SIT court in November 2011. According to the advocate of the convicts, three of the 14 acquitted were given “clean” verdict while the remaining 11 were acquitted on “benefit of doubt”.

The detailed order of the court, however, would be available only after the court re-opened after the Diwali holidays, he said.

The police had filed an FIR against 76 accused in connection with the case that took place on the intervening night of February 28 and March 1, 2002. The mob had surrounded “Sheikh Vaas” locality in the village and when panicky villagers ran away and took shelter in a “pucca” house of Ibrahim Sheikh, they locked it from inside and set it on fire. At least 33 persons, including 22 women, were charred to death in the incident.