India, May 2 -- The Gujarat high court has upheld the sacking of nine police constables for dereliction of duty during the 2002 Godhra train attack, in which 59 passengers in S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express were killed when a mob set fire to the coach.

The court dismissed their petitions challenging their dismissal, ruling that their absence from the train due to negligence contributed to the tragedy.

The incident occurred near Godhra railway station on February 27, 2002, and triggered widespread riots across Gujarat.

The petitioners, comprising four unarmed constables and five armed constables, were part of the Gujarat Railway Police's Mobile Squad. Their duty on February 26-27, 2002, involved patrolling the Rajkot-Bhopal Express f...