'No more adjournments': SC to hear Godhra appeals in Jan

The Supreme Court on Thursday said it will hear on January 15 the appeals filed by the Gujarat government and several other convicts in the 2002 Godhra train burning case.

A bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and Rajesh Bindal made it clear that no adjournment will be given in the matter on the next date of hearing.

On February 27, 2002, 59 people were killed when the S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express was burnt at Gujarat's Godhra, triggering riots in the state.

Several appeals have been filed in the apex court challenging the October 2017 verdict of the Gujarat high court which had upheld the conviction of several convicts and commuted the death penalties of 11 to life term.

The Gujarat government had in February last year told the apex court that it will be seeking award of death penalty to the 11 convicts whose sentences in the case were commuted to life imprisonment by the high court.

The batch of pleas came up for hearing on Thursday before the top court.

Gujarat government's counsel Swati Ghildiyal requested the bench to post the matter for hearing on some other day as she was to argue before another bench of the apex court in a death penalty-related matter.

"We have to first understand what are the cases of individuals. What is the prosecution's case. Then we have to ascertain the roles," the bench observed, adding that hearing in the matter will take at least three days.

"Now we will not adjourn it on the next date," the bench said.

"At the request of Swati Ghildiyal, counsel appearing for the State of Gujarat, list on January 15, 2025," it said.

During the hearing before the apex court earlier, the state's counsel had said 11 convicts were sentenced to death by the trial court and 20 others were awarded life term in the case.

The high court had upheld total 31 convictions in the case and commuted the death penalties of the 11 convicts to life term, the counsel had said.

While the state has come in appeal against the commutation of death penalty into life term for 11 convicts, several convicts have challenged the high court's verdict upholding their convictions in the case.