2002 Gujarat riots: HC verdict in Ode case likely today

The Gujarat high court is likely to give its verdict in the Ode massacre case, in which 23 people were burnt alive in the town in Anand district during the communal riots in the state in 2002.

The Gujarat high court on Friday is likely to give its verdict in the Ode massacre case, in which 23 people were burnt alive in the town in Anand district during the communal riots in the state in 2002.

A special trial court had held 23 accused guilty in 2012 and as many as 18 were sentenced to life imprisonment and five others were handed seven years in jail.

The division bench, led by justice Akil Kureshi, concluded the hearing and reserved the judgment on the set of appeals by the 23 convicts last month.

The Supreme Court-appointed special investigation team probing the riot cases also moved the court challenging the acquittals in the case and demanded an enhancement of the sentences of the five convicts who got seven years in jail.

The probe team also sought capital punishment for all the accused found guilty of murder. There were total 47 accused in the case.

Twenty-three Muslims were burnt alive in Ode on March 1, 2002, two days after the Sabarmati train carnage at Godhra railway station where 58 kar sevaks or religious volunteers were killed.

It is one of the nine major riots cases which were handed over to the Supreme Court-appointed SIT for further investigation.