SC rejects bail plea of 2 in Godhra train burning case

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the bail plea of two convicts in the Godhra train burning case, in which 59 persons were charred to death, on the ground that these two were awarded death penalty by the trial court but the Gujarat High Court had commuted it to life term.

A bench headed by CJI D Y Chandrachud segregated the bail petitions of those who were awarded death sentence for playing an active role in the setting afire of S6 coach of Sabarmati Express at Godhra station in 2002, from other convicts who have sought bail till the SC hears their appeals against conviction. 

The bench said it would consider the bail plea of stone pelters on April 21.

Applying this principle of not granting bail to those convicted of buying petrol a day before the incident, storing it and then sprinkling it in S6 coach prior to setting the coach afire, the bench rejected the bail pleas of Siraj Mohammad Abdul Raheman Meda and Irfan Abdul Majid Ghanchi Kalandar, both of whom have already undergone over 17 and 16 years of incarceration respectively.

Joining issue with the CJI for referring to some of the accused as stone pelters, solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for Gujarat, said they were not mere stone pelters.

Some of them pelted stones at the burning S6 coach to prevent passengers from jumping out to escape the fire, he said.

The Gujarat government, through counsel Swati Ghildiyal, had earlier informed the court that some of the convicts had pelted stones at fire brigade trucks to prevent dousing of the fire, which could have saved some more lives.