Shankar Chaudhary, 50 others acquitted in 2002 riots case

PALANPUR: BJP MLA from Tharad and party's general secretary Shankar Chaudhary along with 50 others was acquitted on Saturday in a 2002 riots case, in which two people lost their lives in firing and public and private properties were damaged in Radhanpur town. With Chaudhary, there were 50 others that saw exoneration for want of evidence. Twenty five of those acquitted are Muslims.
A sessions court in Patan tried them in connection with murder of two persons in firing that allegedly took place from a private weapon and for torching property worth Rs 1.5 crore the day after Godhra train burning took place.
Two Muslim youths were killed in the firing on March 1, 2002, in Mandai Chawk area in Radhanpur during post-Godhra riots. Police did not invoke murder charges first, as they maintained that the people killed were rioters and lost their lives in police firing. But on basis of a private complaint and on testimony of an independent witness, the court made the cops probe murder charges against the then MLA from Radhanpur, Chaudhary and 11 others.
The investigation took place on court orders, and prosecution was initiated against the accused in a Patan court. The court, however, did not find enough evidence to believe prosecution's theory that the people lost their lives in private firing. Chaudhary's lawyer M L Chaudhary said the trial established that the firing had taken place from police's weapon.
Besides, the court did not find concrete evidence against the accused persons to prove their guilt in the case of rioting and arson that damaged public and private property. After lower court granted bail to the accused in the murder case, the complainant and witness - Nanumiya Shaikh moved Gujarat high court to get their bail cancelled on the ground that Chaudhary could influence witnesses and tamper with evidence. But the HC refused to cancel their bail in 2012.
Reacting to his acquittal, Chaudhary tweeted, "My faith in truth and the judiciary stands reinforced. No matter how grave is the opposition, truth ultimately triumphs." He said the case was filed by vested interests to malign him and hamper his career.