Godhra Train Incident: Supreme Court to Hear on February 13

The Supreme Court has announced that it will begin hearing the petitions related to the 2002 Godhra train incident on February 13. The case involves appeals filed by the Gujarat government and several other petitioners. The bench, comprising Justice J.K. Maheshwari and Justice Arvind Kumar, confirmed that no further dates will be set for this case.

On February 27, 2002, a fire broke out in the S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express, resulting in the deaths of around 59 passengers. Many individuals have appealed to the Supreme Court against the orders passed by the Gujarat High Court in 2017. Last year, the Gujarat government filed an appeal seeking the death penalty for 11 convicted individuals, who were sentenced to life imprisonment.

During Thursday's hearing, a lawyer representing one of the accused appeared but was unable to present evidence. Justice Maheshwari mentioned that this case has been postponed five times since last year and stated that it would not be delayed further. Additionally, the Supreme Court was informed that petitions for clemency from some of the accused are still pending. Senior lawyer Sanjay Hegde requested that the hearing on the Gujarat government's appeal be prioritized.