The Supreme Court granted bail to a convict serving life in prison in 2002 Godhra train coach burning case on Thursday, noting that he had been imprisoned for the previous 17 years.
A bench comprised of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha took note of a lawyer appearing for one of the convicts, Faruk, who requested that he be granted bail based on the time elapsed.
The appeals against the conviction of several convicts are pending adjudication in the apex court.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Gujarat government, said it was “the most heinous offence” in which 59 people, including women and children were burnt alive and there was a need to hear the appeals of the convicts at the earliest.
Faruk, along with several others, was convicted of throwing stones at the Sabarmati Express coach.
According to Mehta, stone pelting is usually a minor offence. However, in this case, the train coach was bolted and stones were thrown to prevent passengers from escaping and stones were also thrown at fire tenders, said law officer.
On February 27, 2002, the S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express was burned at Godhra, resulting in riots throughout the state.