Gujarat asks SIT not to seek death penalty for Kodnani

The Gujarat government has refused permission to the Supreme Court-appointed special investigation team (SIT) to file an appeal in a higher court seeking death penalty for former minister Maya Kodnani in the Naroda Patiya riot case. This was decided on the basis of advocate general Kamal Trivedi’s opinion that there was ‘no direct evidence’ against her.

Maya Kodnani and Bajrang Dal activist Babu Bajrangi, along with 30 others, were convicted for life in the 2002 post-Godhra Naroda Patiya riot case, in which 96 people were kille d. ‘State legal department, on the basis of the advocate general’s opinion, has taken a decision not to file an appeal against the special court’s order and not to seek death penalty for Maya Kodnani,’ Prashant Desai, who has been appointed special prosecutor for SIT in Gujarat High Court for the case, said on Sunday. ‘Advocate General has opined that there is no direct evidence against Maya Kodnani and she was convicted only on the basis of other evidence,’ added Desai.