On Friday, the Supreme Court issued extended the bail already granted to Abdul Rehman Abdul Majid, a convict who co-conspired in carrying out the Godhra Train Carnage in 2002. Majid, who was sentenced to life imprisonment has been given bail till March 31, 2023, on account of his wife suffering from cancer and his children being specially abled.
A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justices Hima Kohli and JB Pardiwala maintained that the bail granted to Majid on May 13, 2022, should be extended as his wife is terminally ill and his two children are specially-abled. Abdul Rehman Abdul Majid is currently serving a life sentence after his conviction in the case.
Senior Advocate Sanjay Hegde, representing for Majid, told the court that Majid has already spent 20 years in jail and that his plea, which is currently pending before the court, would most likely take some more duration. Majid filed an appeal against the Gujarat High Court verdict upholding his conviction on October 9, 2017, which has been challenged before the Supreme Court and is awaiting a decision.
According to the petition seeking an extension of bail, Majid’s wife has ovarian cancer and has been undergoing treatment since 2019. “Further, the appellant’s two daughters are mentally retarded from birth and dependent upon their father, the appellant,” the application adds. Majid’s complaint further states that the sole claim against him is that of pelting stones at the firefighter and harming public property by damaging the firefighting vehicle.
The Gujarat High Court order which upheld the conviction stated that Majid, along with Bilal Haji and others, threw stones at the firefighter vehicle, causing injuries to the employees and restricting their ability to perform their duties, while the train coach No. S6 of the Sabarmati Express train was combusted by spraying petrol, burning several people, including women and children.
The Gujarat High Court indicated that the obstruction was deliberately carried out intending to continue the burning of the coach consisting of Kar Sevaks. 20 years ago, 59 Hindus were brutally burnt alive in Godhra, Gujarat. Not only were the Hindus burnt alive, but the bloodthirsty Muslim mob returned to inflict more damage after murdering 59 Hindus and later the entire ecosystem meticulously tried to invalidate accounts of eyewitnesses and victims so they could save the Muslim mob. The mob had targeted karsevaks returning from Ayodhya onboard the Sabarmati Express, and torched several coaches when the train halted at Godhra station on 27 February 2002, on its way to Ahmedabad. 59 Hindus, including women and children, were burnt alive in the attack.