Babu Bajrangi, one of the key convicts in the Gujarat communal carnage of 2002, was granted bail by the Supreme Court on Thursday. Bajrangi who had been found guilty of inciting and participating in mob violence in the Naroda Patiya massacre, was granted bail on grounds of failing health.
Bajrangi’s eyesight has reportedly failed almost completely. What is interesting though is that the state of Gujarat did not oppose his bail application despite the serious charges against him and the fact that even the High Court had upheld his conviction in one of the worst instances of targeted mob violence including gendered violence during the Gujarat genocide.
In fact, a witness survivor supported by CJP had deposed in court and raised concerns about intimidation and witness safety if Bajrangi were to be granted bail. The witness survivor had also requested an independent medical examination of Bajrangi at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The order passed by the court today says that the trial court could impose conditions based upon the concerns of the witness survivor.