A special court in Gujarat on Wednesday convicted 31 of the 73 accused in the 2002 Sardarpura post-Godhra riot case, in which 33 people of a minority community were burnt alive. Here is the chronological order of how the case unfolded.
March 1, 2002: A mob attacks a Muslim locality in the village and sets a room on fire, in which 33 people are burnt to death.
March 3, 2002: A First Information Report is registered in Vipapur police station by Sheikh Ibrahim Raghubhai, who names 55 people.
2003: The Supreme Court stays the trial on the plea of Citizens for Justice and Peace and National Human Rights Commission, seeking transfer of the case outside Gujarat.
2008: The Supreme Court constitutes a Special Investigation Team headed by Dr R K Raghavan to reinvestigate nine massacre cases during the 2002 riots.
2009: During the course of investigation, the SIT makes fresh arrests of 21 persons and finally charges framed against 73 persons for murder, attempt to murder, rioting and arson. Trial begins at Mehsana sessions court.
2011: The trial court delivers its judgment, acquitting 42 accused while convicting 31 for murder and other charges. Two accused die during the trial, while one accused is juvenile, so trial is being held in a juvenile court in Mehsana.
A special trial court in Mehsana on Monday awarded life imprisonment to 31 convicts found guilty for Sardarpura massacre case in which 33 people belonging to minority community were burnt to death on March 1, 2002 during the post-Godhara communal riots in Gujarat.
The court, after two years of trial, acquitted 11 accused from the charges including murder and attempt to murder, while the remaining 31 accused were acquitted giving benefit of doubt, and were fined Rs 25,000 each.
Sadarpura is one of nine Gujarat riots cases handed over to Special Investigation Team. The carnage is also the first post-Godhra train burning case which was being handled by the SIT in which convictions have taken place.
Lawyers representing the prosecution and the accused have said both sides will go in for appeal separately challenging the conviction as well as acquittal.
"We will go for appeal challenging the trial court verdict because the act was committed by a mob and the people charged for the act were not involved in the act," said B C Barot, one of the defence lawyers.
Special Public Prosecutor Suresh Shah, who had sought capital punishment for the convicts, said after studying the verdict, the acquittals will be challenged in the Gujarat high court.
The prosecution contended that the attack on minority community was pre-planned and the conspiracy was hatched by some local leader after the S6 coach of Sabarmati Express train was set on fire on February 27, 2002, near Godhra railway station in which 59 people were killed.
The prosecution had submitted that weapons were distributed by the accused in the run-up to the incident, which lasted several hours.
On the other hand, disputing the prosecution theory, the accused had claimed that they were being falsely implicated and the violence was perpetrated by people who had come from outside the village.
Y B Sheikh, the advocate representing the riot victims, has submitted that over 80 witnesses who were also victims of the violence, had named the accused while giving statement to the police and also identified the accused in court during trial.
In all, 112 witnesses were examined out of the 157 named in the chargesheet during trial including 20 doctors, 17 inquest witnesses, 40 riot victims, 20 police and 15 others.
