Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government has opposed in the Supreme Court any relief to the accused in the Godhra fire incident. The government told the apex court on Monday (February 20) that there could be no crime more heinous than this, in which 59 people were burnt alive. Women and children were also among the dead. The Gujarat government has demanded the Supreme Court to grant death sentences to 11 of the 31 convicts. In 2017, the Gujarat government converted their death sentence into life imprisonment. 

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing in the court on behalf of the state government, has said that, in this case, we oppose the conversion of the death sentence to life imprisonment. What can be a more serious crime than this that 59 people should be burnt alive? On February 27, 2002, a Muslim mob set ablaze a coach of the Sabarmati Express by pouring petrol under a conspiracy. In this, 59 devotees were burnt to death. No one could get out of the train, so the Muslim mob had closed the doors of that coach from outside and were continuously pelting stones from outside. After this brutal massacre, riots broke out in Gujarat and communal violence took place. 

A bench headed by Chief Justice (CJI) DY Chandrachud had sought information on the seven convicts. They also included those convicted whose sentence was commuted. They wanted to get bail by citing being in jail for a long time or by saying that they were in poor health. Justice PS Narasimha and Justice JB Pardiwala were also part of this bench. He wanted to know whether the convicts who have been in jail for at least 20 years, as per the state's policy, can have their sentence reduced and can be released. To this Tushar Mehta said that the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act (TADA) applies in such a case. It is the policy of the State Government that the sentence of TADA convicts cannot be commuted. 

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