Naroda Patiya case verdict: Maya Kodnani acquitted, Babu Bajrangi’s life imprisonment upheld

On April 20, the Gujarat High Court acquitted Maya Kodnani, a former Bharatiya Janata Party minister. The special court upheld the life sentence till death for Babu Bajrangi, a former Bajrang Dal leader. In August 2012, in the Naroda Patiya riot case, Kodnani along with 32 others were sentenced to life imprisonment by a special court for Special Investigating Team (SIT) cases. In August 2017, Justices Harsha Devani and AS Supehiya had reserved the order. Reading today’s verdict, they ruled that the key witnesses’ accounts were contradictory. Kodnani was given benefit of doubt.

As many as 97 Muslims were killed in the Naroda Patoya riots, 2002. It was one of the nine communal riots that were investigated by an SIT team appointed by the Supreme Court, Indian Express reported.

According to news reports, Kodnani was proven guilty for instigating the 2002 riots by the SIT. A written report by the SIT added that in her speech, Kodnani was quoted as saying, “Kill Muslims, destroy the property of Muslims.”