A special SIT court which was to pronounce quantum of punishment to 24 convicts on Monday in the Gulberg society massacre case, has adjourned hearing for a couple of days till June 9 following the argument of the prosecution for either punishment or life imprisonment to the convicts.
Out of 66 accused in the sensational case, Special Sessions Court Judge PB Desai convicted 24 on June 2. The verdict came after 14 long years as the incident of torching houses in the Muslim dominated society occurred a day after the infamous burning of S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express on February 27, 2002 in which 59 people died. In the Gulberg society massacre 69 people including former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri was killed.
Meanwhile, on Monday afternoon court proceedings began and argument exchanged ahead of the pronouncement of quantum of punishment. The victims’ advocate SM Vora argued in favour of maximum punishment to all the convicts as according to him it was a case of cold-blooded mass murder and insisted the court to consider it as rarest of rare. He also said that immediate family members of the victims should be given compensation.
Prosecution lawyer RC Kodekar argued for the life imprisonment till death if not capital punishment to the convicts. Advocate of the convicts Abhay Bhardwaj argued that the punishment should be according to the various sections of the Indian Penal Code invoked on the accused.
Countering the blame of cold blooded mass murder, Bhardwaj said that it couldn’t be considered as cold blooded as the crowd provoked only after Ehsan Jafri opened fire. According to him the situation was tense outside Gulbarg society due to the tragic incident of Sabarmati Express near Godhra Railway Station.
The SIT court had ruled out conspiracy in the case and acquitted 36 out of 66 accused and convicted 24. Six had died during trial period. Of the 24 convicts 11 have been charged with murder under section 302 of IPC and others with lesser charges.