-PTI A local court today Acquitted 40 accused, including senior BJP leaders, in the first ever communal riots case in the state, which had occurred in the twin towns of Curchorem-Sanvordem in 2006. The sessions court at Margao Acquitted 40 accused, including BJP general secretary Satish Dhond and senior leader Sharmad Raiturcar. The accused had been charged with unlawful assembly, mischief and criminal trespass. Riots had erupted after a mob demolished a madrassa...

Sessions court in Ara district had sentenced them in May 2010 The Patna High Court has Acquitted all the 23 persons accused of perpetrating the massacre of 21 Dalits at Bathani Tola in Bhojpur in 1996. The accused were convicted by the sessions court in Ara district and sentenced in May 2010. While three persons were awarded capital punishment, the remaining twenty were handed life imprisonment. A Division Bench of judges Navneeti Prasad...

-Express News Service Sambalpur: Resentment is brewing among hapless tribals in this part of the State against security personnel. Facing arrest after being branded as Maoists, these tribals are now raising voice against the alleged excesses. This became evident earlier this week when hundreds of tribals in the periphery of Sunabeda wildlife sanctuary gheraoed the Collectorate demanding relocation. The tribals said despite the emotional attachment, they were prepared to sever ties with their...

A designated Special Investigation Team (SIT) court on Thursday pronounced the quantum of sentence in the Ode massacre case in which 23 people were found guilty of killing 23 Muslims in the Ode town of central Gujarat during the 2002 riots. Judge Poonam Singh punished 18 persons, guilty of murder, with life imprisonment and five others, guilty of attempt to murder, with seven-year jail term. The charges of conspiracy, rioting, arson,...

-The Times of India   More than a decade after 23 people, mostly women and children, were killed when a mob set ablaze a shelter for Muslims huddled together for safety in Ode during the post-Godhra riots, a Gujarat court on Monday found 23 of the suspects guilty of murder and conspiracy. The Supreme Court-appointed special investigation team (SIT) has sought the death sentence for those convicted of murder.  The special court in...