A BJP MLA and former aide to Gujarati Chief Minister Narendra Modi has been sentenced to 28 years in prison for her role in the 2002 Gujarat riots, which killed over a thousand Muslims.
Maya Kodnani was convicted of murder, attempted murder and conspiracy.
Judge Jyotsna Yagnik said Ms Kodnani was a “kingpin of riots”.
"Communal riots are like cancer on constitutional secularism and the incident in Naroda Patiya was a black chapter in the history of the Indian constitution," the Press Trust of India quoted the judge.
"Acts of communal [religious] violence are brutal, inhuman and shameful. It was a clear incident of human rights violation as 97 people were killed brutally within a day which included helpless women, children, aged persons.
"The climax of this inhuman and brutal act of violence was reflected in [the] murder of an infant, who was 20 days old," the judge said.
Chief Minister Narendra Modi promoted Ms Kodnani to a ministerial role in 2007 although her role in the riots was being investigated at the time.
