2002 Gujarat riots: SC grants bail to Babu Bajrangi
Considering his, "100 per cent blind" medical report
New Delhi, Mar 8: The Supreme Court has granted bail to former Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi, sentenced to 21 years in jail in Naroda Patiya massacre case in which 97 people were killed by a mob during the 2002 Gujarat riots, considering his medical condition as he was "100 per cent blind".
A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and Ajay Rastogi noted in its order that the state government has verified medical certificates issued to Bajrangi and has said that they were authentic.
Bajrangi's counsel sought bail on medical grounds and told the apex court that Bajrangi is 100 per cent blind and is also suffering from profound hearing loss.
"Taking overall view of the matter, we are inclined to direct release of the applicant, Babubhai alias Babu Bajrangi, on bail to the satisfaction of the trial court and on such terms and conditions as may be imposed by the trial court," the bench said.
The state government had earlier told the apex court that Bajrangi is in "bad shape" due to various ailments and medical reports suggests that he has suffered a hundred per cent vision loss also.
Bajrangi has also challenged the Gujarat High Court's April 20 last year verdict in which his conviction in the case was upheld and the life term awarded to him by the trial court was reduced to 21 years' rigorous imprisonment without remission.
The top court had earlier granted regular bail to four convicts in Naroda Patiya massacre case Umeshbhai Surabhai Bharwad, Rajkumar, Padmendrasinh Jasvantsinh Rajput and Harshad alias Mungda Jila Govind Chhara Parmar.
The Gujarat High Court had on April 20 last year upheld the conviction of 12 out of the 29 accused who were pronounced guilty on various charges by the trial court and had acquitted 17 others, including former Gujarat minister Maya Kodnani.
The rioting had taken place on February 28, 2002, in the Naroda Patiya area of Ahmedabad where a mob had killed 97 people, most of them from a minority community.
The massacre had taken place a day after the torching of the Sabarmati Express at Godhra that left 59 people dead and triggered state-wide riots.
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HC questions Delhi govt over failure to regulate sale of old vehicles, refers to Red Fort blast
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court questioned the city government on Wednesday over its failure to regulate the sale and transfer of used vehicles, while pointing out that in a recent bomb blast near the Red Fort, a second-hand car was used, making the issue more significant.
A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela asked the Delhi government to file a detailed response on the issue of regulating authorised dealers of registered vehicles.
"A car changes four hands but the original owner has not changed. Therefore, what happens? That man (the original owner) goes to the slaughterhouse? What is this? How are you permitting this? You will take a call when two-three more bomb blasts take place?" the bench asked the Delhi government's counsel.
The bomb blast near the iconic Mughal-era monument was carried out using a second-hand car, making the issue even more significant, it said.
The court listed the matter for further hearing in January 2026.
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The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) plea filed by an organisation, Towards Happy Earth Foundation, highlighting the challenges in the implementation of rules 55A to 55H of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, introduced in December 2022 to regulate authorised dealers of registered vehicles.
While the rules were intended to bring accountability to the second-hand vehicle market, the petitioner's counsel argued that they have failed in practice due to regulatory gaps and procedural hurdles.
The plea said there is a major gap in the amended framework, that is, the absence of any statutory mechanism for reporting dealer-to-dealer transfers.
"In reality, most used vehicles pass through multiple dealers before reaching the final buyer, but the rules recognise only the first transfer to the initial authorised dealer.
"As a result, the chain of custody breaks after the first step, defeating the very purpose of accountability," the petition said.
It added that because of these gaps, only a very small percentage of dealers across India have been able to obtain authorised dealer registration and in Delhi, not a single dealer has got it.
Consequently, lakhs of vehicles continue to circulate without any record of who is actually in possession of those, it said.
The plea said only a small fraction of India's estimated 30,000 to 40,000 used-vehicle dealers are registered under the authorised-dealer framework.
The petition also pointed out that the 11-year-old vehicle used in the November 10 bomb blast near the Red Fort was sold several times but was still registered in its original owner's name.
The blast near the Red Fort had claimed 15 lives.
