Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Apr 24: The Supreme Court has slated May 6 and 7 for arguments in the consolidated criminal appeals stemming from the 2002 Godhra train burning. A bench led by Justice J.?K. Maheshwari, alongside Justice Aravind Kumar, had been unable to commence hearings on Thursday due to time constraints.

Earlier, the court had chided counsel for repeated requests to postpone, emphasizing that after multiple deferrals it had reluctantly placed the matter at the top of the February 13 roster. The bench also underscored that decisions on remission rest with the competent government, regardless of any pending appeal.

Background on the case: In February 2002, 59 passengers lost their lives when one coach of the Sabarmati Express was set ablaze at Godhra station in Gujarat—an incident that ignited widespread communal violence across the state. A trial court in March 2011 found 31 individuals guilty—sentencing 11 to death and 20 to life imprisonment—while acquitting 63 others.

On appeal, the Gujarat High Court in October 2017 upheld the convictions but commuted all death sentences to life terms. The convicts have challenged their sentences before the Supreme Court, and the Gujarat government has appealed the High Court’s commutation orders.

The apex court’s recent bail rulings include an August 2023 order denying interim release to three convicts—citing their roles in stone-pelting and gold-ornament robberies—while clarifying that this did not affect the merits of their pending appeals. In April 2023, the court had granted bail to eight convicts and refused it to four others.