New Delhi, 9 October(Wishav Warta): The death sentence of 11 convicts in the 2002 Godhra train burning case reduced to ‘life in prison’ by the Gujarat high court (HC) on Monday. A division bench of justice AS Dave and justice GR Udhaari also upheld the life sentence awarded by the special SIT court to 20 others in the case and refused to alter the acquittal order for 63 accused.
A special trial court had on March 1, 2011, convicted 31 people and acquitted 63 of setting ablaze a coach of the Sabarmati Express on February 27, 2002 at Godhra railway station in which 59 people were burned alive triggering the worst communal riots in the history of Gujarat. Of the 31 convicts, 11 were sentenced to death and 20 were given life in prison for All the convicts had appealed their conviction.
Further, it observed that the state government and the Railways failed miserably in maintaining law and order during the 2002 incident.