Guj minister, VHP leader get bail in post-Godhra riot cases

Ahmedabad, May 19 : A local court today granted conditional bail to former Gujarat minister Dr Mayaben Kodnani and VHP leader Dr Jaydeep Patel in the infamous post-godhra Naroda Patia and Naroda Gam riots cases of 2002.

The city session court judge C H Patel today granted conditional bail to both the leader in response to their bail applications in the riots cases, which had claimed over 100 lives on February 28, 2002.

The Judge ordered the duo to deposit their passports
before the court. He also issued directives to them not to leave Gujarat without obtaining prior permission from the designated court.

The court also ordered the leaders not to meet the witnesses or give them any direct or indirect threats and/or pressures. They were also asked to co-operate with the investigating agency ie the Supreme Court appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT).

The leaders were also asked to deposit Rs 10,000 each as a guarantee money.

Dr Kodnani and Dr Patel were booked by the SIT, which is headed by former CBI Chief R K Raghvan. The SIT was appointed by the apex Court in 2008 to reinvestigate nine major cases of post-Godhra riots in Gujarat in year 2002.

The duo was booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 120 (B) for criminal conspiracy, 302 for murder, 307 for attempt to murder, 395 and 397 for loot and 143 to 147 for rioting and 201 for destruction of evidence.

The SIT arrested them on March 27, 2009, when the Gujarat High Court cancelled lower court's anticipatory bail granted to them.

Earlier, these two cases were investigated by local crime branch, but reinvestigation by the SIT led to arrest of Dr Kodnani and VHP leader Jaydeep Patel, who is also co-accused in the case, for their alleged roles in instigating mobs to rioting.