Ahmedabad, August 31
A special court today awarded life imprisonment to BJP MLA Maya Kodnani, Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi and 29 others for the 2002 riots here at Naroda Patiya where 97 persons were killed.

The court termed Kodnani, a sitting MLA and former Gujarat minister, as “a kingpin of riots” in Naroda area and sentenced her to 18-year life imprisonment after serving a 10-year jail term under Section 326 (voluntary causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the IPC.

Bajrangi, another high-profile accused, will have to spend his entire remaining life behind bars, the court said, describing communal violence as "cancer".

Seven other convicts were given jail term of 21 years by Additional Principal Judge Jyotsna Yagnik. They will also have to first serve 10-year imprisonment under Section 326. The remaining 22 convicts were given simple life imprisonment (14 years).

The court had on Wednesday convicted 32 and acquitted 29 persons in the worst riots case in the aftermath of the Godhra train carnage. It did not pronounce sentence against one accused who is absconding.

“Communal riots are like cancer on Constitutional secularism and the incident in Naroda Patiya was a black chapter in the history of the Indian Constitution," the judge observed.

"Acts of communal violence are brutal, inhuman and shameful. It (Naroda) was a clear incident of human rights violation as 97 persons were killed brutally within a day which included helpless women, children, aged persons.

“The climax of this inhuman and brutal act of violence was reflected in murder of an infant who was just 20 days old," the court noted.

The judge accepted that one victim, who was also a witness, was gang-raped, but due to lack of evidence, the court has not charged anybody for that offence. — PTI