2002 Gulbarg society massacre: Daily hearing in trial court from November 27

A special court trying the Gulberg Society massacre case pertaining to the killing of 68 people, including former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, during the 2002 communal riots will commence daily hearing from November 27 following directions of the Supreme Court. This was stated by the Special Trial Court Judge PB Desai during the hearing on the case today.

The Supreme Court had recently directed winding up of proceedings in the riot cases in Gujarat within three months. The apex court bench, headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu, had on November 13 asked the Special Investigating Team (SIT), which probed nine riot cases, to proceed in the cases expeditiously.

However, the bench had said that judgement in the cases should not be pronounced by trial courts without its permission. The apex court has been monitoring the nine cases after the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and various NGOs termed the investigation into them as shoddy and unreliable.

These were Gulberg Society, Naroda Patiya, Naroda Gaam, two cases of Ode village, Dipda Darwaja, Prantij, Sardarpura and Godhra. 68 people were killed by a mob at Gulbarg Society in Ahmedabad on February 28, 2002, a day after burning of S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express near Godhra railway station that sparked the communal riots.