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Maya Kodnani

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Maya Kodnani
Member of Legislative Assembly,Gujarat
In office
1998–2012
Preceded byGopaldas Bhojwani
Succeeded byNirmala Wadhwani
ConstituencyNaroda
Personal details
Born1956 (age 67–68)
Itanagar,Arunachal Pradesh,India
Political partyBharatiya Janata Party

Maya Surendrakumar Kodnaniis a formerMinister of Statefor Women and Child Development in theGovernment of Gujarat.Kodnani joined the12th legislative assemblyof Gujarat after being elected to represent theconstituency of Narodaas a candidate for theBharatiya Janata Party.

In 2012, Kodnani was sentenced to twenty-eight years' imprisonment for her participation in theNaroda Patiya massacreduring the2002 Gujarat riotsbut acquitted in 2018 by the Gujarat High Court. Kodnani was one of the most high-profile individuals to be convicted in the case, as well being the only woman among the accused.[1][2]

Early life[edit]

Kodnani is the daughter of aSindhiRashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS) worker who moved to India during the IndianPartition.She had her early education in aGujarati-medium school. She also joinedRashtra Sevika Samiti,the parallel organisation of RSS for women.[3]

Kodnani joined theBaroda Medical Collegefrom where she did herMBBSand Diploma in Gynaecology and Obstetrics. She set up Shivam Maternity Hospital at Kubernagar inNaroda,Ahmedabad.[4]

Political career[edit]

Kodnani began her political career with Ahmedabad civic elections in 1995. She was elected three times from the Naroda constituency as aMember of the Legislative Assemblyfor theBJP.[5]In 1998, she won the election with a margin of 75,000 votes. In December 2002, shortly after2002 Gujarat riots,she won by a margin of 110,000 votes. In 2007, her margin increased 180,000 votes.[6]After winning the elections in 2007, she was named as Minister for Women and Child Development of Gujarat inNarendra Modi's BJP government,[5]but resigned from the post in 2009 pending her arrest as accused for theNaroda Patiya massacre.[7]

Role in the 2002 Gujarat riots[edit]

Kodnani was convicted of orchestrating the Naroda Gam and Naroda Patiya massacres of the 2002 Gujarat riots on 28 February 2002, in which 97 Muslims, including 36 women and 35 children, were murdered by stabbing, dismemberment and being burned alive individually as well as in groups.[5][7]Witnesses testified that Kodnani was at the scene of the crimes, handed out swords to Hindu rioters, exhorted them to attack Muslims and at one point fired a pistol.[8]Bajrang Dalmembers Suresh Richard and Prakash Rathod toldTehelka's journalists on spy camera that Kodnani drove around Naroda all day, urging the mob to hunt Muslims down and kill them.[9]Mobile phone records also placed her at the scene and showed her to be in regular communication with the top police officials, the Home MinisterGordhan Zadaphiaand the Chief Minister's office.[10]The mobile phone records were buried by the police and brought to light by theNanavati-Mehta Commissionin 2004. They were later investigated byR. K. Raghavan-led Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by theSupreme Court of Indiain 2008.

Kodnani ignored notices for deposition by the SIT, which declared her an absconder in February 2009. She obtained an anticipatory bail from a sessions court, which was revoked by theGujarat High Courton 27 March 2009, leading to her subsequent arrest.[6]

She was tried in the Naroda Patiya massacre case and, on 31 August 2012, convicted of murder and conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to 28 years in prison.[8][11]The court judgement called her the "kingpin of the Naroda Patiya massacre." Kodnani continued to maintain her innocence, claiming that she was at the Sola Civil Hospital at the time of the riots, meeting the relatives of Godhra victims.[12]

On 17 April 2013, the Gujarat government filed an appeal in the High Court seeking the death penalty for Kodnani[13]but withdrew it on 14 May.[14]In November 2013, she was granted an interim bail of three months for treatment of intestinaltuberculosis.[15]On 30 July 2014, Gujarat High Court granted bail to her on grounds of ill health and suspended her prison sentence.[16] On 20 April 2018, the High Court overturned the trial court's findings and acquitted Maya Kodnani, while upholding the conviction of Suresh Richard and Prakash Rathod.[17][18]

Personal life[edit]

Maya Kodnani is married to Surendra Kodnani, who is a general physician.[19]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Naroda Patiya riots: Former minister Maya Kodnani gets 28 years in jail".NDTV.Archivedfrom the original on 3 November 2012.Retrieved17 November2012.
  2. ^"Gujarat riots: BJP's Maya Kodnani jailed for 28 years".BBC News.31 August 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 9 February 2021.Retrieved21 June2018.
  3. ^"Naroda Patiya: How Maya Kodnani fell from BJP poster girl to convict".Firstpost.30 August 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 9 February 2021.Retrieved28 August2014.
  4. ^Express News Service."The rise and fall of Maya Kodnani".Express India. Archived fromthe originalon 27 October 2014.Retrieved17 November2012.
  5. ^abc"For Maya Kodnani, riots memories turn her smile into gloom".DNA India.21 February 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 2 September 2012.Retrieved7 June2012.
  6. ^abMitta, Manoj (2014).The Fiction of Fact-Finding: Modi & Godhra.HarperCollins Publishers India. pp. 78–97.ISBN978-93-5029-187-0.
  7. ^ab"Maya gets bail".India Today.19 May 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 26 December 2018.Retrieved7 June2012.
  8. ^ab"Indian nationalist MP gets 28 years for 2002 massacre".Reuters. 31 August 2012.Retrieved31 August2012.
  9. ^Ashish Khetan (29 August 2012)."Ahmedabad: Carnage Capital".Tehelka.Archived fromthe originalon 21 May 2014.Retrieved22 November2014.
  10. ^"Naroda verdict may spell trouble for top cops, ex-minister".Hindustan Times.1 September 2012.Retrieved14 December2017.
  11. ^Manas Dasgupta (31 August 2012)."News / National: 28 years for Kodnani, Bajrangi to spend entire life in prison".The Hindu.Chennai, India.Archivedfrom the original on 26 December 2018.Retrieved17 November2012.
  12. ^"Naroda Patiya case: Mayaben Kodnani's fate hangs in balance".India Today.25 May 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 26 December 2018.Retrieved5 July2014.
  13. ^"Gujarat government to seek death penalty for Kodnani, Bajrangi".The Hindu.Chennai, India. 17 April 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 12 June 2014.Retrieved30 May2013.
  14. ^"Narendra Modi's U-turn on Maya Kodnani; seeks advocate general's opinion on death penalty".The Times of India.Archived fromthe originalon 8 August 2013.
  15. ^"Supreme Court refuses to grant Maya Kodnani extension of Bail".IANS.news.biharprabha.Archivedfrom the original on 26 December 2018.Retrieved24 February2014.
  16. ^Gujarat high court grants bail to Kodnani 30 July 2014
  17. ^"Naroda Patiya case: Trial court presumed Maya Kodnani's guilt, sought reasons to support its belief, says HC".The Indian Express.22 April 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 9 February 2021.Retrieved22 April2018.
  18. ^"Maya Kodnani Acquitted in 2002 Gujarat Riots Case".The Wire.20 April 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 9 February 2021.Retrieved20 April2018.
  19. ^"Naroda Patiya massacre: Who is Maya Kodnani?".Yahoo! News India.31 August 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 9 February 2021.Retrieved22 November2014.
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