Law

Godhra accused can hope for bail

SC's refusal to stay the transfer of case to Godhra sessions court means they will be able to file for bail

The people accused in the 2002 Godhra carnage case see hope of securing their release on bail in view of the Supreme Court and Gujarat high court giving the nod to the recommendations of the Central Pota Review Committee to conduct the trial of the accused sans the charges under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (Pota).

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to extend the stay order on the transfer of the case papers of the Godhra carnage incident from the designated Pota court to the Godhra sessions court, issued by the Gujarat high court.

Lawyers reject decision

The agitating lawyers of Tamil Nadu rejected the SC decision. “The Supreme Court decision is an eyewash, transferring officers is routine. We will not call off our protest till stringent action is taken against police officers involved in the assault,” they said. 

Leaders of lawyers’ associations are away in Delhi, where an SC bench comprising chief justice KG Balakrishnan and justices P Sathasivam and JM Panchal heard their petition on constituting an inquiry committee headed by a sitting judge.

HC gives state a week to mark silence zones

The Bombay high court on Thursday directed the state government to issue a notification for demarcation of silence zones in the city in a week.

As per the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules 2000, areas within 100 metres of educational institutions, courts, hospitals and religious places have to be demarcated as silence zones.

The order was passed on a public interest litigation filed by Awaaz Foundation on non-implementation of noise pollution reduction measures. Nine years have passed but silence zones have not been demarcated, petitioner's lawyer DJ Khambata told the court.

Missing riot victims are legally ‘dead’

The source explained that, very often, the accused is from the same locality as the victim but the victim knows him just by his first name. “Unfortunately, this is not sufficient to establish the identity of the accused,” he said.

SIT officials believe that almost all the victims who have been missing since 2002 can now, under law, be presumed to be dead. The law says that any person who has been missing for seven years should be declared as dead.

Rioters still a maya

One certainty: Those missing since 2002 have been declared dead

It is now seven years since a train compartment caught fire at Godhra on February 27, 2002, and riots erupted across the state in its aftermath. The special investigation team (SIT) set up by the Supreme Court to investigate some of the riot cases, has arrested some people who allegedly played ‘key’ roles in three massacres that occurred in the city on February 28, 2002.

17 lion killers get 5 yrs in jail

For the 1st first time in India’s history of wildlife crime, all accused — 37 in this case, dating to 2007 — have been punished

In a landmark verdict, 17 accused in the lion poaching case of 2007 — involving 20 others who have already been indicted — were sentenced to five years’ imprisonment by a chief judicial magistrate of Bhavnagar, on Thursday.

The magistrate, AI Sheikh, also imposed a penalty of Rs2,000 on each accused. This marks the conclusion of all cases relating to the poaching of Asiatic lions at the Gir wildlife sanctuary.

Pages