AHMEDABAD: Under attack from right wing forces, Gujarat government on Tuesday kept on hold its decision to seek death penalty for former minister Maya Kodnani, BabuBajrangi and eight others in the 2002 NarodaPatia riots case.
The rethink comes after chief minister Narendra Modi government came under criticism from right wing forces for its earlier decision to go ahead with the Supreme Court-appointed SIT’s recommendation to seek death penalty for Kodnani, Bajrangi and others.
The state government had earlier given its consent to file an appeal in the high court seeking death sentence for Kodnani, Bajrangi and others, who were awarded life term by a lower court.
“The decision has been withheld for now as we have to take opinion of state advocate general,” Gujarat finance minister and spokesperson Nitin Patel said.
“A final decision will be taken after advocate general give his opinion,” Patel added.
Kodnani, who was earlier a minister in the Modi government, was sentenced to 28 years in prison by a Special Court in August 2012 in connection with the post-Godhra Naroda Patia riot case – in which 96 people were killed.
Bajrang Dal activist Babu Bajrangi was sentenced to jail for his entire life, while eight others were given 31 years’ jail term each in the same case.
‘No change in Modi’s mindset’ : Meanwhile, Congress has flayed Gujarat government for withholding its decision to seek death for Maya Kodnani in the Naroda Patiya case, saying there has been no change in the mindset of Chief Minister Narendra Modi and his feelings about a community.
“It proves that Modi has not changed. He was like this in the past and will remain so in the future. There has been no change in his mindset and his feelings about a community,” party spokesperson Meem Afzal said.
The rethink on Kodnani and others comes after Modi government came under criticism from right wing forces for its earlier decision to go ahead with the Supreme Court-appointed SIT’s recommendation to seek death penalty for Kodnani, Babu Bajrangi and eight others in the 2002 riots case.
The state government had earlier given its consent to file an appeal in the High Court seeking death sentence for Kodnani, Bajrangi and others, who were awarded life term by a lower court.
Taking a dig at BJP over its campaign against the government, he said there cannot be any compromise with the life of an individual. “The life of an individual is more than a scam of Rs one lakh crore,” he said. He charged that Modi’s decision on Kodnani is aimed at diverting attention from the Chief Minister’s “utter failure” in the Karnataka polls. Besides, he said, the High Court’s observation against the Chief Minister in Ishrat Jahan case should prompt the Chief Minister to resign. (PTI)