Gujarat govt rejects SIT plea for appeal against Kodnani bail

AHMEDABAD: The state legal department has rejected the request of the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) for an appeal against the bail granted to former minister Maya Kodnani by the Gujarat high court in the 2002 Naroda Patia massacre.
Kodnani, along with Babu Bajrangi and 30 others, was convicted in the case by the special trial court in August 2012.Sources in the legal department said the SIT had sent a letter in late August to the state’s legal department seeking permission to appeal against the bail.
“The legal department had sought an expert opinion on the plea. After a detailed study of documents, the state’s legal department turned down the SIT’s plea recently,” said a source in the legal department.
Kodnani was sentenced to 28 years in jail. Later, in July 2014, the Gujarat high court had granted bail to Kodnani on health grounds. “The high court had also suspended the sentence,” said a source.
Earlier, while in jail, Kodnani had slipped into acute depression and had to be given shock treatment. “She was also treated for tuberculosis of the intestine and acute back pain,” said a source at the Civil Hospital.
During the riots, 97 people were killed in Naroda Patia on February 28, 2002. A total 61 accused were put on trial. “In August 2012, the special trial court had convicted 32 accused, including Maya Kodnani and Babu Bajrangi, and acquitted 29,” said a source.