Gujarat High Court grants temporary bail to two Godhra case convicts

The Gujarat High Court  on Thursday granted temporary bail to two convicts of Godhra train burning case of 2002 to attend family obligations.

The division bench of justices Ravi Tripathi and Sonia Gokani granted bail of two days to Bilal Ismail Abdul Majid Sujela alias Bilal Haji, and to Siddiq Badam for three days on personal bonds of Rs 5,000. Bilal, sentenced to death, had sought bail for a month for his daughter's wedding which is on November 30. Badam, who is serving a life term, had sought to extend his parole which ends on November 21 for one week to finish post-funeral rites of his mother.

Bilal and Badam are among the 31 convicts in the case related to the death of 59 people after a coach of Sabarmati Express was set on fire by a mob near Godhra station on February 27, 2002. Bilal along with 11 others was given death penalty by the the special trial court in March 2011. Their appeals against the conviction are pending before the high court.