A special magisterial court, dealing with juvenile offenders, today rejected the pleas of two accused, who were minors when arrested in 2002 and are seeking their discharge from the Gulberg Society riots case.
Magistrate RS Bharmbhatt rejected the pleas of Vishal Nai and Rakesh Patni, who sought discharge from the case on the grounds that they lived in the neighbouring colonies of Gulberg and had got trapped in the rioting, while they were passing by on February 28, 2002.
They also said that they did not take part in the unruly mob that attacked Gulberg Society, but had in fact sustained injuries, after being trapped in sudden firing and rioting.
The Supreme Court-appointed special investigation team special public prosecutor NK Dahiya, and counsel for some of the victims, SM Vora opposed the discharge pleas.
They argued that the accused were arraigned in the case on the basis of the evidences establishing their presence on the scene of offence.
It was also contended that there was sufficient evidence against the juvenile accused for a trial against them.
There are four such persons, who were minors, when arrested in 2002, facing trial in this post-Godhra Gulberg riots case.
Therefore, they are not being tried with 67 other accused before the special court. All the four juvenile accused are out on bail.
Sixty-nine persons, including former MP Ahsan Jafri, were killed during the riots ten years ago.
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