Ahmedabad: The Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) court on April 17 rejected bail application of 44 accused in the Godhra train carnage, court sources said.

POTA court special judge Sonia Gokani, who had last week deferred the hearing on their bail application, gave her judgement in a packed court, denying bail to the accused.

In her ruling, judge Gokani observed that "Chargesheets were not filed within the stipulated period and the case is nearing trial."

The accused, however, were not produced before the POTA court on April 17 as the trial has not yet commenced.

Special prosecutor H M Dhruva appeared on behalf of state government, while advocate Haji Hassan was the defence counsel.

Meanwhile, the special investigating team probing the train carnage also chargesheeted two other accused in the same case, Idris Ibrahim Shaka alias Ravan and Zabir Bin Yameen Behra, sources said.

It was after Behra's confession that the Gujarat railway police had arrested one of the main conspirators Maulvi Hussain Umarji, a local religious leader from Godhra, on February 6.

Altogether 123 persons have been booked under the anti-terrorist Law for their alleged role in the gruesome carnage, where 59 Ram sevaks were charred to death in the S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express on February 27 last year.

PTI