The group says the acquittal of accused in Mecca Masjid blast and Naroda Patia massacre “represents a failure of the judiciary in upholding the rule of law.”
The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), an advocacy organization of Indian Muslims in the United States, on Sunday expressed dismay over the acquittal of the accused in the 2007 Mecca Masjid attack in Hyderabad and the 2002 Naroda Patiya massacre case in Gujarat.
The accused of Mecca Masjid blast Swami Aseemananda, who is linked to pro-Hindutva groups, was given a clean chit by a special National Investigation Agency court on April 16. Aseemananda had earlier confessed that he was the mastermind of the blast that claimed the lives of nine people and wounded close to 58.
In another judgment, the Gujarat High Court ordered the release of former BJP Minister Maya Kodnani, who was earlier found guilty of inciting the 2002 Naroda Patiya riot that resulted in the massacre of 97 people, mostly women and children.
Kodnani was earlier named as the key instigator of the gruesome riot by a fast-track-court in 2012 and was given 28 years’ imprisonment.
In both cases, survivors and families of victims have deplored the verdict and plan to appeal the judgements.
“The acquittal of accused in both the cases, despite incontrovertible evidence and confessions, represents a failure of the judiciary in upholding the rule of law,” said Ahsan Khan, president of IAMC.
The organization also charged that the judicial system is letting off BJP leaders who are involved in terror cases and is denying justice of victims of saffron terror.
It also criticized the BJP for elevating Yogi Adithyanath as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh despite pending trials against him for unleashing riots and massacres.
IAMC said that the Indian judicial system is crippled because of lack of enough judges. It pointed out that Indian courts have a backlog of 30 million cases, four million of which are being adjudicated in 24 state high courts, while 60,000 cases remain pending in the federal Supreme Court, which has only 31 judges.
“The rampant abuse of political power in a way that aims to shield the culprits, in the context of a judicial system that is not equipped to deliver justice, demonstrates the culture of impunity that has taken hold in India,” said Khan. “This is why the international community needs to take notice of the rapidly declining state of human rights and religious freedom in India.”