Gulberg massacre: Quantum of sentence for 24 convicts today

A mob of 400 attacked the Gulberg society during the 2002 Gujarat riots killing 69 people including Congress MP Ehsan Jafri

A special SIT court will on Friday pronounce the quantum of sentence for 24 convicts in the Gulberg Society massacre case, in which 69 people were killed, including former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri.

More than 14 years after the massacre, the SIT court had earlier delivered its verdict in the case on June 2.

Judge P.B. Desai had convicted 11 persons of offences, including murder, while 13 others were charged with lesser offences. The court had acquitted 36 others.

The arguments on the quantum of sentence came to an end on June 10 with final submission by the prosecution.

Out of the 66 accused, six died during the trial. The 24 convicted include Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Atul Vaidya.

A mob of 400 people attacked the Gulberg society during the riots, which were triggered after a coach of the Sabarmati Express was set on fire, killing 58 people, including karsevaks.

The incident took place near the Godhra railway station on February 27, 2002. It was one of the nine cases of the Gujarat riots probed by the Supreme Court-appointed SIT.