Godhra case: HC reduces the death penalty of 11 convicts to life imprisonment

In the Godhra train burning case, the Gujarat High Court upheld the conviction of 31 convicts and orders life imprisonment to 11 convicts. The High Court also directed the government and railways to pay Rs. 10 lakh each to families of those killed in Godhra train burning case. The court reduced the death sentence given by the trial court to 11 convicts to rigorous life imprisonment. It has upheld the death sentence of 20 other convicts in Godhra case. The high court also dismissed the Gujarat government's appeal against the acquittals awarded to 63 people in the Sabarmati Express burning train case. On February 27, 2002, the coach S-6 of the Sabarmati Express was set ablaze at Godhra Station, killing all 59 passengers, most of them 'kar sevaks' returning from Ayodhya.Soon after the incident took place, rumours regarding the incident and a supposed conspiracy to kill the kar sevaks spread. It triggered massive riots in Gujarat which resulted in the death of 1,000 people, most of them were Muslims. A Special Investigative Team (SIT) conducted the probe into the incident and a special court was set up to conduct the trials and it convicted 31 people and acquitted 63 while accepting the prosecution's argument that there was a conspiracy to burn Coach S6 of the Sabarmati Express. The 31 convicts were charged under IPC sections 300, 302, 307 and 120B related to murder, attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy. The convictions and the acquittals by the SIT were challenged in the Gujarat High Court.