Friday;June 17, 2016:Ahmedabad’s special court will on Friday give out sentences to the 24 persons who were condemned in link with the Gulberg massacre in Gujarat.

Court,last week said, “it would fix a date on Monday. The court has directed all parties to be present in court when the quantum of the sentence would be delivered.”

The court had convicted 24 persons and acquitted 36 in link with the Gulbarg massacre case in which 69 persons were murdered.

Special court, during delivering its verdict convicted 11 out of the 24 persons for murder. The verdict came 14 years after a mob of nearly 20,000 attacked the Gulbarg society comprising 29 bungalows and 10 apartments in which 69 were murdered. Bipin Patel, a corporator of the BJP who was accused of being part of the mob had been acquitted.

There were a total of 338 witnesses who give evidence in the case. The trial went on for 6 years. This is one of the nine cases in the well-known 2002 Gujarat riots case.

A special investigation team had appointed by the Supreme Court to query all the nine cases. The SIT although inquiring the case named 66 persons in all of which 9 are still in jail while the rest obtained bail. SC which is monitoring the investigation had ordered the special court to give its decision soon.

The SIT said, “In court that 39 charred bodies had been found which an indication that they had been burnt alive is. The SIT further submitted that it had found petrol cans, swords and lathis at the site.”