The special court investigating the 2002 Gulbarg Society massacre in which 69 people were killed during the 2002 riots in Ahmedabad sentenced 11 of the convicts guilty of murder to life imprisonment.
While 12 others convicted for lesser offenses were sentenced to seven years of jail, one other was sentenced to 10 years of jail.
#FLASH Gulbarg Case verdict: 11 accused awarded life imprisonment and remaining 12 to be jailed for seven years.
— ANI (@ANI_news) June 17, 2016
The special court announced the quantum of punishment two weeks after it pronounced the verdict, in which it also acquitted 36 of the 66 accused.
Reacting to the verdict, Teesta Setalvad, representing the Gulbarg residents said, "We will appeal against the lesser sentence for those who haven't been awarded life imprisonment."
We are not for revenge verdict but reformative justice. On compensation, dont know what judge said: Teesta Setalvad pic.twitter.com/2CZszhDYkG
— ANI (@ANI_news) June 17, 2016
We will appeal against the lesser sentence for those who haven't been awarded life imprisonment: Teesta Setalvad #GulbargVerdict
— ANI (@ANI_news) June 17, 2016
Zakia Jafri, wife of former Congress MP, Ehsan Jafri, who was killed in the massacre, expressed disappointment terming it as ‘not justice’ and said she will consult her lawyers.
I am not satisfied, I am not happy. I will have to consult my lawyers again, this is not justice: Zakia Jafri #GulbargVerdict
— IndiaTodayFLASH (@IndiaTodayFLASH) June 17, 2016
Sitting BJP corporator, Bipin Patel, is among those acquitted, even as a VHP leader was among those convicted.
The court has no found any of the convicts guilty of criminal conspiracy.
During the trial, the prosecution had argued that the massacre was a pre-planned criminal conspiracy hatched by the accused to kill members of the minority community living in Gulbarg Society.
The defence had refuted this theory and claimed that the mob resorted to violence only after Jafri fired several rounds at them.