Indian SC grants bail to 14 convicts of 2002 Gujarat riots case

NEW DELHI: India's Supreme Court (SC) Tuesday granted bail to 14 convicts sentenced to life imprisonment in a case that involved the massacre of 33 Muslims during 2002 communal riots in the western Indian state of Gujarat.

"The 14 convicts in Sardarpura massacre have been granted bail today on the condition that they will shift to neighbouring Madhya Pradesh and do community service," an official said. "A Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde asked the Madhya Pradesh administration to find them work and divide the convicts into two groups. One group will stay in Indore and the other in Jabalpur."

The top court asked district legal authorities in Indore and Jabalpur to ensure that the convicts do six hours of community service daily. The State Legal Services Authority has also been asked to file a compliance report and also regularly report on their conduct.

A trial court in 2011 had convicted 18 in the case but one of them died. The remaining 17 had been moved to the Gujarat high court, which handed out life term to 14 of them in 2016, acquitting three. These 14 have appealed against their conviction in the Supreme Court. Their bail applications were filed even as their appeal remains pending before the top court.

More than 1,000 Muslims were killed and thousands displaced across Gujarat in 2002 during a series of riots which victims say was a pogrom.

The riots considered to be the worst since Indian independence were triggered after a train fire at Godhra killed 58 Hindu pilgrims. Muslims were blamed for setting up the train coach on fire and following it Hindu mobs in revenge rampaged the Muslim areas in towns and villages of Gujarat for three days.