NEW DELHI (AA): India’s top court on Tuesday released on bail at least 17convicts jailed for life for taking part in an anti-Muslim pogrom, localmedia reported.
The Supreme Court of India issued bail orders for the convicts who werefound guilty for the 2002 Sardarpura massacre in which 33 Muslims wereburned alive in the western province of Gujarat.
According to Press Trust of India news agency, the country’s apex courtruled to send the convicts in two groups to the neighboring central MadhyaPradesh province for “community service.”
At least 33 Muslims, including 22 women, were burned alive in Sardarpura onthe night of Feb. 28, 2002, following the infamous Godhra train riots a dayearlier. Some 59 people who were returning from Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh werekilled in the incident.
The bail order was passed by Chief Justice S A Bobde along with justices BR Gavai and Surya Kant.
All the released convicts were ordered to undertake community service forsix hours a week, aside from reporting to the local police station on aweekly basis.
Read Top Stories
Earlier, the Supreme Court had ordered a Special Investigation Team toprobe the Sardarpura massacre, which then arrested 76 people.
However, a special fast track court convicted only 31 people in 2012, 10years after the massacre. Four years later, Gujarat High Court acquitted 14of these 31.
The court had ruled that the prosecution did not comply with the“two-witness” principle prescribed by the Supreme Court.
The convicts have, however, appealed against the order of Gujarat HighCourt convicting them.
