Godhra riots: Trial judge examines S-6 coach at Godhra railway station

The judge conducting the trial in the Godhra train burning incident of 2002, today visited the site of offence at the railway station in Panchmahal district.

Judge PR Patel, along with special public prosecutors in the case and defence advocates and other officials visited the Godhra railway station and examined the S-6 coach in which 59 people, most of them karsevaks, were killed on February 27, 2002.

Following the train burning incident, communal violence broke out in many places of the state.

According to one of the special public prosecutors in the case, JM Panchal, a judge can exercise his right to visit the place of incidence under the Section 310 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

He said they also went to the Aman guest house where it is alleged that the entire conspiracy was hatched. 

Panchal further said they visited the petrol pump from where it is alleged that the fuel used to burn the S-6 coach was supplied from.

The judge also went to some other places mentioned in the investigation reports before retuning to Ahmedabad, he added.

The trial of the Godhra train burning incident is on inside the Sabarmati jail premises and over 245 witnesses have been examined by the prosecutors, Panchal said.

The public prosecutor said only a few witnesses in the case were left to be examined.

The Supreme Court had last month ordered that the trial in the Godhra train burning case and eight others which were investigated by the special investigation team (SIT) should continue as scheduled.

It had, however, told the judges not to pass judgment in any of the cases until further orders, while hearing a bunch of petitions alleging unsatisfactory investigation by the SIT.