New Delhi, January 23: The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted bail to four convicts in connection with the 2002 Naroda Patiya riots case in which at least 97 Muslims were killed. According to a tweet by ANI, the top Court granted bail to four convicts - Umeshbhai Bharwad, Rajkumar, Harshad and Prakashbhai Rathod. Naroda Patiya riot is one of the worst incidents which followed the Godhra train burning incident of February 27, 2002. After the conflict, a curfew was imposed in the state and army troops were called in to control violence across the state. Naroda Patiya Riot Verdict: Gujarat HC Acquits Maya Kodnani, Babu Bajrangi's Conviction Upheld.

The killing of 97 Muslims took place in Ahmedabad’s Naroda Patiya area on February 28, 2002, when a mob thronged in the locality and murdered them. According to reports, the convicts were given bail on the chief grounds that the High Court verdict of conviction was “debatable”. A report by News 18 stated that the top Court said they should be released on bail since their appeal would take much time for disposal.

Take a look at the tweet:

The communal violence at Naroda was believed to be the largest single case of mass murder during the 2002 Gujarat riots as it accounted for the greatest number of deaths during a single event.

In August 2012, a special court for SIT cases had sentenced 32 people, including former BJP minister Maya Kodnani, to life imprisonment. Reports inform that Kodnani was sentenced to 28 years of imprisonment. Another high-profile accused, former Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi, was given life imprisonment till death.

According to a report by PTI, seven accused were given enhanced life imprisonment of 21 years, which they will serve after undergoing 10 years' imprisonment under IPC section 326 (causing grievous hurt). Remaining accused were given simple life imprisonment (14 years).

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 23, 2019 10:22 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).