Gujarat High Court

The High Court refused to treat the accused as 'victims; of religious conversion, noting that they lured others to convert to Islam after converting themselves.

A single bench of Justice Mauna Bhatt passed the order last month, rejecting the petition filed by Pathan.

For the unversed, a total of 58 Hindu pilgrims (including 27 women and 10 children) who were travelling in the S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express were burnt alive by a Muslim mob on the morning of 27 February 2002. The carnage took place near the Godhra railway station in Gujarat.

The state government clarified that the land in question is government-owned waste land, which was acquired for the construction of the highway under the provisions of the National Highways Act, 1956, as per the rules and after following due legal procedures.

"The petitioner was lying on his bed and watching the court proceedings as if he was enjoying a movie. Such conduct compromises the dignity and the decorum of the court, and therefore it cannot be tolerated," the court said.

On Wednesday (10th July), the Supreme Court stayed a Gujarat High Court order that directed the state government to reclaim grazing land given to an Adani Group entity in 2005

The Gujarat High Court pointed out that the property on which the temple is located is not owned by the petitioners.