Centre revokes ‘age relaxation’ for children, relatives of 2002 Gujarat riot victims in govt jobs

In an order issued in March 2025, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs asked the government of Gujarat to revoke relaxation of age criteria provided to the children, family members of those who died in the riots of 2002 in Gujarat.

The home ministry had given age relaxation to children and dependents of victims of 2002 Gujarat riots in jobs of Intelligence Bureau, state and central government departments, etc.

Deputy Secretary to the Govt of India, P Venukuttan Nair, addressed a letter to Chief Secretary to Government of Gujarat, Panjak Joshi to ‘withdraw the age relaxation with immediate effects’.

Referring to an earlier order issued by the ministry in 2007, Nair wrote, “I am directed to refer to this Ministry’s letter of even number dated May 14, 2007 on the above mentioned subject and to inform that the preference given to children/family members of those who died in the riots of 2002 in Gujarat, in recruitment in paramilitary forces, IR Battalions, State Police Forces, Public Sector Undertakings and other State and Central Government Departments by giving necessary age relaxation, stands withdrawn with immediate effects.”

The February 27, 2002 train burning incident in Godhra led to communal riots in Gujarat.

A total of 31 convicts were sentenced by the trial court in 2011 — 11 were sentenced to death and 20 to  life imprisonment. In 2017, the Gujarat High Court commuted the death sentence to life terms — all 31 got life imprisonment.

As per a report titled ‘India: A Decade on, Gujarat Justice Incomplete’ by a US-based human rights watchdog, nearly 2,000 people were killed in the 2002 Gujarat riots.