'Won't adjourn': SC to hear Godhra case on February 13
What's the story
The Supreme Court has fixed the final hearing for the appeals in the 2002 Godhra train burning case on February 13.
The bench, comprising Justices JK Maheshwari and Aravind Kumar, stressed that no more adjournments would be given.
This comes after several requests for adjournment.
Justice Maheshwari expressed displeasure over the case being adjourned five to six times in a year.
Case background
Appeals challenge 2017 verdict on Godhra train burning case
The case pertains to appeals by both the Gujarat government and some convicts against the Gujarat High Court's 2017 verdict.
The HC had upheld convictions and commuted death penalties of 11 to life imprisonment in the case.
At the outset, senior advocate Sanjay Hegde argued that a three-judge bench should hear matters concerning death penalties confirmed by a high court, citing Supreme Court Rules and a constitutional bench judgment.
Legal argument
Hegde argues for 3-judge bench, highlights case duration
Hegde observed that the court has to first confirm guilt before dealing with sentencing, particularly since 22 years have passed since the incident.
He contended that appeals filed by Gujarat seeking death penalties should be heard first and, if confirmed, sent to a three-judge bench.
The judges, however, clarified that every case needs to be dealt with individually with conviction confirmation as the first step and then sentencing.
Bail granted
Supreme Court grants bail to some convicts
The Godhra incident of February 27, 2002, which led to communal riots in Gujarat, left 59 dead after a train coach was set ablaze. The carnage triggered communal riots in Gujarat.
In March 2011, a trial court convicted 31 people, sentencing 11 to death and 20 to life imprisonment.
The Supreme Court has previously granted bail to some convicts on the basis of certain circumstances.