Naroda Patiya riot case: Key observations by Gujarat High Court

The Division Bench of Gujarat High Court comprising of Justice Harsha Devani and Justice AS Supehia made a number of observations while reviewing the order of the lower court on Friday.

Delayed charges not a ground for conviction

One of the key observations by the division bench that led to Maya Kodnani's acquittal was that no charges were levelled against her in the FIR filed by Gujarat Police in the immediate aftermath of Naroda Patiya massacre. Her name was first mentioned first by the SIT in 2008. The delay of six years in naming her was one of the key reasons of her acquittal.

Inconsistency in witness testimonies

The testimony of 15 witnesses, including four policemen, was also crucial. The 11 civilian witnesses had made contradictory statements, while none of the four policemen said that they saw Kodnani at the time of massacre. The same policemen had testified that they had seen Babu Bajrangi and there fore his conviction was upheld.

Demand to raise jail term just 'lip service'

The High Court came down heavily on Gujarat government which sought increased sentences to the convicts. It observed that the plea seems more of a formality than a concern, as the state had allowed temporary bails to convicts. It asked that if the government was concerned, why did it not oppose bail pleas of the convicts noting that many of those pleas were on flimsy grounds. "You just indulge in lip service," the court said.