Ahmedabad, March 20: A Special Investigative Team (SIT) court in Ahmedabad on Wednesday sentenced convict Yakub Pataliya to life imprisonment in 2002 Godhra train carnage case. The court acquitted three others in the case. Pataliya was one of the wanted accused in the 2002 Sabarmati Express burning case. He was was on the run for 16 years and arrested in January, 2018 by Gujarat Police.

Pataliya was part of the mob who burnt the coaches of Sabarmati Express near Godhra railway station on February 27, 2002. A total of 59 people were killed in the incident. Consequently, riots took place in the state. In August, 2018, the SIT court also sentenced two other accused, while, three accused were acquitted. 2002 Godhra Sabarmati Express Train Burning Case Verdict: 2 Convicted, 3 Acquitted by SIT Court in Ahmedabad.

The Godhra burning case was investigated by a SIT. On March 1, 2011, a total of 31 people were convicted by an SIT court, while 63 accused were acquitted. Meanwhile, 11 out of 31 convicts were given the death penalty, and the remaining convicts were given life imprisonment. All of them were convicted under IPC sections related to murder, attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy. 2002 Naroda Patiya Case: Supreme Court Grants Bail to Four Convicts.

On February 27, 2002, the S6 coach of the Sabarmati Express was set ablaze, and 59 passengers were charred to death at Godhra station in Gujarat. The victims included 27 women and 10 children. The incident had led to widespread communal riots in Gujarat.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 20, 2019 01:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).