August 8, 2003	Friday	Jumadi-us-Sani 9, 1424

NEW DELHI, Aug 7: The government of Gujarat state on Thursday lodged a court appeal against the controversial acquittal of 21 people charged with the murder of a dozen Muslims in last year’s sectarian violence.

The U-turn by the state government came 10 days after India’s top human rights body appealed to the Supreme Court to order a retrial of the 21 Hindus acquitted over the killing of 12 Muslims in a bakery.

Officials from the Supreme Court said it was likely to give a verdict Friday on an appeal by the autonomous National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

Gujarat’s ruling Hindu nationalist BJP party, which has been accused of turning a blind eye to the violence that left up to 2,000 people dead, lodged appeals against the acquittals in the state high court.

The state authorities also challenged similar acquittals of many others who had been initially charged with leading Hindu mobs to kill Muslims during the riots, but were later freed by local courts, sparking uproar across India.—AFP