2002 Gujarat riots: SC grants bail to Babu Bajrangi

Gujarat riot case convict Babu Bajrangi was granted bail by the Supreme court considering his deteriorating medical condition. The state government had earlier told the apex court that Bajrangi is in "bad shape" due to various ailments.

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Published : Mar 8, 2019, 11:29 PM IST

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has granted bail to former Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi, sentenced to 21 years in jail in Naroda Patiya massacre case in which 97 people were killed by a mob during the 2002 Gujarat riots, considering his medical condition as he was "100 per cent blind."

A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and Ajay Rastogi noted in its order that the state government has verified medical certificates issued to Bajrangi and has said that they were authentic.

Bajrangi's counsel sought bail on medical grounds and told the apex court that Bajrangi is 100 per cent blind and is also suffering from profound hearing loss.

"Taking overall view of the matter, we are inclined to direct release of the applicant, Babubhai alias Babu Bajrangi, on bail to the satisfaction of the trial court and on such terms and conditions as may be imposed by the trial court," the bench said.

The state government had earlier told the apex court that Bajrangi is in "bad shape" due to various ailments and medical reports suggests that he has suffered a hundred per cent vision loss also.

Bajrangi has also challenged the Gujarat High Court's April 20 last year verdict in which his conviction in the case was upheld and the life term awarded to him by the trial court was reduced to 21 years' rigorous imprisonment without remission.

The top court had earlier granted regular bail to four convicts in Naroda Patiya massacre case-- Umeshbhai Surabhai Bharwad, Rajkumar, Padmendrasinh Jaswantsinh Rajput and Harshad alias Mungda Jila Govind Chhara Parmar.

The Gujarat High Court had on April 20 last year upheld the conviction of 12 out of the 29 accused who were pronounced guilty on various charges by the trial court and had acquitted 17 others, including former Gujarat minister Maya Kodnani.

The rioting had taken place on February 28, 2002, in the Naroda Patiaya area of Ahmedabad where a mob had killed 97 people, most of them from a minority community.

The massacre had taken place a day after the torching of the Sabarmati Express at Godhra that left 59 people dead and triggered state-wide riots.

Also read:PM deplores attacks on Kashmiris, asks state govts to take stern action

A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and Ajay Rastogi noted in its order that the state government has verified medical certificates issued to Bajrangi and has said that they were authentic.

Bajrangi's counsel sought bail on medical grounds and told the apex court that Bajrangi is 100 per cent blind and is also suffering from profound hearing loss.

The state government had earlier told the apex court that Bajrangi is in "bad shape" due to various ailments and medical reports suggests that he has suffered a hundred per cent vision loss also.

The rioting had taken place on February 28, 2002, in the Naroda Patiaya area of Ahmedabad where a mob had killed 97 people, most of them from a minority community.

The massacre had taken place a day after the torching of the Sabarmati Express at Godhra that left 59 people dead and triggered state-wide riots.

Also read:PM deplores attacks on Kashmiris, asks state govts to take stern action

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.KOLKATA CES6
WB-RAILWAYS-WOMAN
Rly awards Pushpa, a woman in male dominated profession
Kolkata, Mar 8 (PTI) Walking down railway tracks with
hammer and wrenches on her shoulder, Pushpa Sing stands
between safety and derailment of trains running at 100 kms per
hour, as she goes on her daily hunt to check for even the
minutest crack in the rails.
Having secured a job that was considered strictly in
the male domain, she holds the post of a 'Keyman' at Shyamchak
station of South Eastern Railway's Kharagpur division, SER
spokesman Sanjoy Ghosh said.
"Braving the vagaries of weather, snakes and filth on
tracks, she has been doing the job, which she described as her
passion, to ensure safety of trains," he said.
On the International Women's Day on Friday, Pushpa was
awarded by the Chairman of Railway Board at New Delhi for
"exemplary devotion to duty and for doing a job considered to
belong to the male bastion," the SER spokesman said.
Pushpa carries spare nuts, detonators, wrenches and a
hammer while covering 6 to 8 kilometres in eight hours
everyday, checking tracks, ensuring safety and smooth running
of trains.
Even the name of the post suggests that it is a man's
job, but she has been doing it with elan for over 12 years
now, Ghosh said.
The 39-year-old Pushpa, who joined the job as
'Trackman' or track maintainer in 2006, lives in her modest
house in a village 6 kilometres from Shyamchak station with
her two children, a son and a daughter. She lost her husband a
few years ago.
Her day starts at 3 am. After cooking meals for her
children and completing household chores, she leaves for work,
that starts from 5.00 am.
After returning from a hard day's work in the evening,
she helps her children with their studies.
"I have to inspect each track, I must check that the
ballast (gravel) on track bed below the sleepers are placed
correctly, check for any fishplate damage and make sure nuts,
bolts and welding are intact and check on the clips that hold
the rails to the sleepers and fix them," Pushpa said.
"There are five tracks, eight crossings and six switch
expansion joints in my zone," she said.
Track maintainers are the first line of defence
against any dangerous abnormality on tracks, on which run
close to 20,000 trains in India every day, Ghosh said.
"One day in 2016, in the morning at around 5.45 am, I
saw a crack of about seven inches in length at a crossing in
the middle line near Shyamchak station, which could cause a
serious accident if any train passed over it," Pushpa said.
"I immediately informed the station master and
maintained track protection till any approaching train on the
tracks were stopped," she said.
She received the SER General Manager's award and medal
for her exemplary work by which she saved many lives by
preventing a possible accident, Ghosh said.
She was also promoted to the post of 'Keyman', an
elevated post of a track maintainer.
Stating that the work involves high risk as trains can
come any moment on the tracks she is working, Ghosh said she
is accompanied by a 'look out man' whose duty is to caution
her about approaching train. PTI AMR
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2002 Gujarat riots: SC grants bail to Babu Bajrangi

Gujarat riot case convict Babu Bajrangi was granted bail by the Supreme court considering his deteriorating medical condition. The state government had earlier told the apex court that Bajrangi is in "bad shape" due to various ailments.

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