The trial in the infamous Una flogging incident will be held on a day-to-day basis. Veraval additional sessions judge B.L. Choithani said that the matter will be heard on a daily basis from July 29 for three months.
On July 11, 2016, a group of cow vigilantes had allegedly assaulted members of the Sarvaiya family. The family members were skinning the carcass of a cow in Mota Samthiyala village of Gir Somnath district. They were also tied to a vehicle and paraded.
The video of the assault went viral and led to outrage in various parts of the country against the brutality. Politicians, including Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal and the then chief minister of Gujarat Anandiben Patel, had visited the victims thereafter.
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Jitubhai Sarvaiya, cousin of one of the victims, told THE WEEK that the judge accepted their plea for speedy trial on July1. Jitubhai said that a speedy trial would be good in the case as there are more than 300 witnesses. The victims had also asked for police protection for the public prosecutor.
The judge has asked the prosecution to furnish by July 12 the list of witnesses it wants to present. The charge-sheet in the case has been filed against 34 accused persons. A year later, dalit activists including Jignesh Mevani and human rights activists had taken part in a rally from Ahmedabad to Una.
