HC to hear 2002 Naroda Patiya riot case appeals from July 13

The final hearing on appeals in the case related to 2002 Naroda Patiya riots, in which 97 people, mostly Muslims, were killed, would start before the Gujarat High Court from July 13.
The division bench of Justices K S Zaveri and G B Shah today posted the final hearing on July 13 as two of the lawyers were not present.
Twenty nine convicts in the case, including former Gujarat minister Mayaben Kodnani and former Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Babu Bajrangi, have filed appeals against conviction by the special trial court.
Survivors and the prosecution agency (special investigation team) too have filed appeals seeking enhanced punishments.

The trial court had in August 2012 convicted 31 persons and awarded life term to 30 of them, including Kodnani, for murder and criminal conspiracy. Bajrangi was awarded 'imprisonment till death'.
Kodnani was given bail by the High Court last year.

Earlier, a division bench headed by Justice Ravi Tripathi had started the final hearing but survivors of the riots moved the Supreme Court seeking another bench.
Justice Tripathi, in the meanwhile, retired on May 6 and the case finally went to another division bench.
Naroda Patiya massacre had taken place here a day after the Godhra train burning incident of February 27, 2002.