Asianage
EDIT 30AUG2012
An opening has appeared that brings up the prospect of
senior figures in the ruling establishment in Gujarat being similarly exposed
The verdict of a trial court in
Ahmedabad on Wednesday convict ing Maya Kodnani, a former minister considered
close to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, and Babu Bajrangi, a leader of
the Hindu extremist Bajrang Dal in the state, in the Naroda Patiya massacre
case, should reinforce the faith of the people in our judicial system. In this
worst single episode of massacre of Muslims in the postGodhra violence that
consumed Gujarat in 2002, 97 persons were killed in cold blood by rampaging
mobs. The wanton killing of members of the minority community occurred not
because the state had lost control but, as many feared, owing to the fact that
many at the highest levels in the state government were fanning the fires of
hatred, permitting bands of Hindu extremists to go berserk over a period of
many weeks. But the involvement of top political figures or ministers in these
repugnant events, euphemistically called riots (which otherwise signifies the
existence of two warring sides), was hard to prove.
There were grounds for strong
suspicion based on specific circumstances but not what might be called legal
evidence. The denouement in Ahmedabad changes that.
The conviction of Ms Kodnani raises the possibility of the transference of a former minister of the Modi government (now an MLA) from her place under the lens to the gallows, or at the very least to a jail cell for life. This particular individual was wont to issue vile statements that seemed self-congratulatory. She was no different in this from leading figures of hate groups like the Bajrang Dal, one of whose leaders has also been convicted, besides 30 others.
Another 29 persons have been let off. The judge is to pronounce sentence on Friday.
The conviction of Ms Kodnani raises the possibility of the transference of a former minister of the Modi government (now an MLA) from her place under the lens to the gallows, or at the very least to a jail cell for life. This particular individual was wont to issue vile statements that seemed self-congratulatory. She was no different in this from leading figures of hate groups like the Bajrang Dal, one of whose leaders has also been convicted, besides 30 others.
Another 29 persons have been let off. The judge is to pronounce sentence on Friday.
It is noteworthy that Ms Kodnani and
the others have been convicted of murder as well as criminal conspiracy. Since
the latter has been legally established in this case, an opening has appeared
for the first time that brings up the prospect of senior figures in the ruling
establishment in Gujarat being similarly exposed.
Those convicted naturally have the
right to appeal. Should they exercise it, the judiciary ought to hear the case
on a speedy basis. So much time has already been wasted in this case and other
post-Godhra trials which have brought shame to the country. The terrible Naroda
Patiya episode occurred on February 28, 2002. The crime branch in Ahmedabad
moved in a lackadaisical manner that was typical of the response of the state
government to violent crimes against Muslims. A sense of purpose came to be
detected only after the Supreme Court set up a special investigation team, and
the trial could begin only in 2009.
