Godhra tragedy: Guj HC reduces death sentence of 11 to life term

News Network
October 9, 2017

New Delhi, Oct 9: The Gujarat high court (HC) on Monday reduced to 'life in prison' the death sentence given to 11 convicts in the 2002 Godhra train burning case.

A special trial court had on March 1, 2011, convicted 31 people and acquitted 63 of setting ablaze a coach of the Sabarmati Express on February 27, 2002 at Godhrastation. Of the 31 convicts, 11 were sentenced to death and 20 were given life in prison for All the convicts had appealed their conviction.

On Monday, a division bench of justice AS Dave and justice GR Udhaari upheld life imprisonment for the 20 other convicts in the case and refused to alter the acquittal order for 63 accused.

Further, it observed that the state government and the Railways failed miserably in maintaining law and order during the 2002 incident.

The HC then directed the government and the Railways to pay Rs 10 lakh each to the families of those killed in the Godhra train burning incident.

In 2011, the 63 persons the Gujarat HC acquitted included Maulana Hussain Umarji, who was dubbed by the Gujarat police as the 'mastermind' of the carnage. Out of over 130 accused persons, 94 could be put on trial before the trial court. Even after the trialcourt delivered its verdict on February 22, 2011, some of the accused were nabbed and put on trial.

The Gujarat government and the special investigation team that probed the incident had sought confirmation from the Gujarat high court to the death sentence given to 11 by the trial court. The government also demanded the maximum punishment for the 20 people given life imprisonment. Besides, it questioned the acquittal of 63 persons. The kin of the fire victims' too have sought death for all accused persons.

As many as 59 passengers including many 'kar sevaks' returning from Ayodhya were killed in coach S 6 of the Sabarmati Express when a violent mob attacked the train near Godhra railway station on February 27, 2002. The incident sparked state wide sectarian violence that claimed the lives of nearly 1,200 over two months.

Comments

Ramesh Bhat
 - 
Monday, 9 Oct 2017

Its not tragedy... Its riot with intention

Reshma
 - 
Monday, 9 Oct 2017

I have only one relief, Modi doing everything (petrol  price hike, lies about army, scams, gst, demonetisation) for our nation's progress

Naveen Bhandary
 - 
Monday, 9 Oct 2017

No hope in Modi govt. People made big mistake by electing him

Mohan
 - 
Monday, 9 Oct 2017

Feku's rule... Feku's place and Feku's people

Unknown
 - 
Monday, 9 Oct 2017

That place itself showing how the verdict is. 

Althaf
 - 
Monday, 9 Oct 2017

Verdict in favor of sangh parivar. Justice is blind 

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coastaldigest.com news network
February 7,2020

Bantwal, Feb 7: A 31-year-old man has been arrested on charge of sexual assault on a minor boy at Kanyana under the limits of Vittla police station in Bantwal taluk of Dakshina Kannada.

The police have identified accused as Suresh Prabhu, a resident of Kanyana village. He is said to be an activist of a saffron outfit.

The alleged sexual assault took place on February 1, when the victim, a schoolboy, was on his way home from the school. 

According to police, Prabhu called the boy saying he wanted to tell a secret. He then took him to the school toilet and sexually assaulted him there. 

After returning home, the boy narrated the incident to his mother, who approached the jurisdictional Vittla police station and lodged a complaint. 

After taking the minor boy’s statement, the police registered a case under section 341, 377, 506 IPC and POCSO Act against Prabhu. He was arrested on February 5.

 

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Agencies
July 3,2020

New Delhi, Jul 3: The aviation regulator DGCA said on Friday it was extending the suspension of scheduled international passenger flights in the country till July 31 but added that some international scheduled services on selected routes may be permitted on a case to case basis.

Scheduled international passenger flights were suspended in India on March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Modifying its June 26 circular that stated that scheduled international passenger flights will remain suspended till July 15, 2020, the regulator stated on Friday it has decided to extend the deadline to July 31, 2020.

However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case to case basis,” said the circular by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Air India and other private domestic airlines have been operating unscheduled international repatriation flights under the Vande Bharat Mission, which was started on May 6 by the Central government.

India resumed scheduled domestic passenger flights on May 25, after a gap of two months.

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News Network
January 10,2020

Mangaluru, Jan 10: Two members of a notorious honey-trap gang that used to lure rich men using women and then extort money from them by staging fake police raid have been arrested by the Dakshina Kannada district police.

Lohith, a resident of Kushalnagara, and Sharif from Vittal, were arrested in connection with a honey-trap case registered in Uppinangady police station. Jamal, Jeevan and Naushad, who were also involved in the case, are absconding.

Police said they received information that a few people under the guise of being Kerala police, were planning to raid a resort near Uppinangady where two couples were staying.

They were informed that they would threaten and try to extort money from them. The police were tipped off about the same by their counterparts in Kerala.

Police said the accused are experts in setting honeytraps, and were involved in similar crimes since a long time. Their modus operandi was to use two women from Mangaluru to lure their intended targets.

Once they trap their target, the woman and victim are sent to resorts. They then raid the resort posing as police officials, and click pictures in compromising positions of the victim with the woman.

They threaten to release the pictures on social media or TV channels, if they fail to pay up.

Police said the accused demanded Rs 10 lakh from each victim, but they denied to pay up. Irked by this, the accused took away the victims’ belongings such as phone, money and car.

The victims who believed that the accused were police personnel, asked them to take them to the police station. Instead of taking them to the police, the accused took them to a secluded place, where they claimed that they were putting the victims under house arrest. Police have seized an SUV from the accused.

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