Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Thursday granted
bail to a convict in the 2002 Best Bakery case of Gujarat on
medical grounds.
The division bench of Justices VM Kanade and PD Kode
directed the petitioner, an HIV-positive man (identity not to
be disclosed) to submit a personal bond of Rs 5,000.
He is the first person in the case to be granted bail
after an appeal was filed in the High Court against the
conviction.
Fourteen persons were killed inside Best Bakery in
Vadodara during the post-Godhra communal riots of Gujarat in
2002. Of the 17 accused, nine were sentenced to life
imprisonment by a special court in Mumbai.
The High Court today went through the medical report
submitted by civil hospital, which states that the
petitioner's 'CD4 count' had gone down to 196, and HIV
infection was at 'stage 2', which requires constant medical
attention.
"Considering the report, it will be appropriate to
release him on bail," the court said.
The court has directed the petitioner to provide to the
police his permanent address in Vadodara where he would be
staying along with his contact number. Directing that he be
released forthwith, the court also said that his condition
would be reported to the nearest police station by his
relatives once in two weeks.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, February 02, 2012, 18:49