2002 Naroda Patiya Case: Two Gujarat High Court Judges Visit Riot Site

A division bench of the Gujarat High Court which is hearing appeals in the 2002 Naroda Patiya case on Thursday visited the crime spot to get a better idea of the incident in which 97 people, mostly Muslims, were killed.

Justices Harsha Devani and A S Supehiya visited Ahmedabad's Naroda Patiya area, where one of the worst incidents of violence during the post-Godhra riots of 2002 took place.

The judges spent around two hours at the spot.

In an order on Wednesday, the bench had said, "Right from the beginning... the learned counsels for the respective parties have been requesting this court to visit the scene of incident so as to get a better idea of the manner in which the incident has occurred and to understand the topography of the area which is spread over a considerable area."Having regard to the evidence which has come on record, the court finds that the request made by the advocates is reasonable," it said.

Former Gujarat minister Maya Kodnani and other convicts in the case have filed appeals before the high court.

A special trial court had on August 30, 2012 awarded life imprisonment to Kodnani and 29 others, and "imprisonment till death" to Babu Bajrangi.

She is also facing a trial in the Naroda Gam riot case.