The Supreme Court granted bail on Thursday to a man serving life in prison for the 2002 Godhra train coach burning case, noting that he’s been in jail for 17 years.
An appeals bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha took note of a lawyer’s submission that one of the convicts, Faruk, should be granted bail considering the time he’s had in jail.
There are appeals against the convictions of several convicts pending at the Supreme Court.
59 people, including women and kids, were burned alive, Tushar Mehta, who represented the Gujarat government, said it was “the most heinous offence” and the appeals of the convicts needed to be heard soon.
Faruk was convicted of throwing stones at the Sabarmati Express coach along with several others.
Usually stone pelting is a minor offense, Mehta said. According to the law officer, in the instant case, the train coach was bolted and stones were thrown to stop passengers from getting out, and also stones were thrown at fire trucks.
At Godhra on February 27, 2002, 59 people were killed when the S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express caught fire, triggering riots.
