The Supreme Court granted bail to eight life convicts in the 2002 Godhra train burning case in Gujarat on Friday, citing the length of their incarceration (17-18 years) and their individual roles in the crime. It did, however, deny bail to four other people, citing their roles in the case. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Gujarat government, told a bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and comprised of Justices P.S. Narasimha that he has concerns about four accused’s bail applications because of their roles in the train burning case. The accused have been incarcerated for nearly 17 years. Opposing bail for the four accused, Mehta stated that an iron pipe was recovered from one of them and a weapon, a sickle mounted on a stick, was recovered from another. Mehta went on to say that another accused purchased, stored, and transported petrol that was used to burn the coach, and that the last accused attacked and looted the passengers. On February 27, 2002, some coaches of the Sabarmati Express were set ablaze at the Godhra Railway Station in Gujarat, killing 59 people. The incident sparked widespread rioting in Gujarat. In 2011, a local court convicted 31 defendants and acquitted 63 others.
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