SC to Hear Appeals Against HC Verdict on Godhra Train Burning Case on February 13

The Supreme Court on Thursday scheduled a final hearing for February 13 on the appeals filed by the Gujarat government and several convicts in the 2002 Godhra train burning case. A bench consisting of Justices JK Maheshwari and Aravind Kumar stated that no adjournment would be granted on the next hearing date.

The court directed that the records of the case, which are in Gujarati, be translated into English and digitized for accessibility to all parties involved.

A series of criminal appeals have been filed by the convicts challenging their convictions by both the trial court and the Gujarat High Court. They are contesting the October 2017 verdict in which the High Court upheld the convictions of several individuals.

The Gujarat government has also approached the Supreme Court, seeking the death penalty for 11 convicts whose sentences were reduced to life imprisonment by the High Court. In total, the High Court upheld the conviction of 31 individuals and commuted the death sentences of the 11 to life imprisonment.

The incident occurred on February 27, 2002, when a coach of the Sabarmati Express was set on fire, killing 59 people and sparking widespread riots across Gujarat. In March 2011, the trial court convicted 31 individuals, sentencing 20 to life imprisonment and 11 to death. It also acquitted 63 others.