Gujarat Court Acquits 35 Accused in Post-Godhra Riot Cases; Dismisses Allegations of Conspiracy

Ahmedabad: A court in Gujarat’s Halol town has acquitted all 35 accused in four separate cases related to the post-Godhra riots. The court stated that the riots were spontaneous and not planned. Out of the initial 52 accused, 17 passed away during the trial period.

The prosecution had alleged that three individuals were killed using deadly weapons and their bodies were subsequently burnt to destroy evidence. However, the court found the evidence presented by the prosecution to be insufficient and failed to establish guilt.

In its order on June 12, which became public on June 15, the additional sessions judge, Harsh Trivedi, criticized the “pseudo-secular media and politicians” for asserting that the riots were premeditated, as reported by news agency PTI.

The 35 men were charged with murder and rioting following the outbreak of violence on February 28, 2002, a day after the Godhra train burning incident.

The Gujarat court concluded that there was no basis to sustain charges of rioting against any of the accused, and the prosecution failed to prove the recovery and seizure of weapons.

The court emphasized its responsibility to determine the truth in cases of communal riots, despite the police’s inability to ascertain the accuracy of conflicting versions. It stated that the court cannot evade this duty by relying on the police’s failure to establish the true narrative.

According to the case records, the police were alerted about three missing individuals during their visits to relief camps established after the riots. Allegedly, the clashes occurred between Hindus and Muslims in Kalol town and two other locations. The bodies of the three missing persons from the Muslim community were discovered a few days later.

The court’s order clearly states that the riots in Gujarat were spontaneous rather than preplanned, refuting claims of a conspiracy.