Author: Dhananjay Mahapatra
Publication: The Times of India
Date: September 12, 2011
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Gulbarg-massacre-case-Relief-for-Narendra-Modi-SC-asks-SIT-to-file-its-report-in-lower-court/articleshow/9953324.cms
The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Special
Investigation Team (SIT) to submit its final report in the Gulbarg Society
massacre case to the lower court, which is trying the case.
"No further monitoring of the 2002 Gujarat
riots cases is required by us," the Supreme Court bench said.
The SC verdict comes as a huge relief for
Gujarat CM Narendra Modi. The SIT has already given a clean chit to Narendra
Modi in the riots cases.
The SC asked the SIT to file final report
before trial court on the basis of its status report before the apex court.
The SIT had trashed IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt's allegations against Modi.
The SC asked the magistrate to hear Zakia
Jafri's plea if he decides to close the case against Narendra Modi and others.
The Supreme Court pronounced its verdict
on a petition alleging deliberate inaction on the part of Gujarat CM at the
time of the Gulbarga Society carnage during the 2002 riots, PTI reported.
Zakia Jafri, who is the widow of former Congress
MP Ehsan Jafri who was killed in the Gulbarg massacre, one of the most gruesome
crimes committed during riots.
As many as 37 persons were killed in Gulbarg
by a rampaging mob which set the neighbourhood on fire on February 28, 2002.
A special bench comprising justices D K Jain,
P Sathasivam and Aftab Alam passed the direction on the basis of a confidential
report submitted by amicus curaie on the investigation carried out by SIT
which had reportedly given clean a chit to Modi.
The report, which was filed in a sealed envelope,
analyses the investigation and evidence recorded by the SIT.
The report was prepared and submitted by
senior advocate Raju Ramachandran who is assisting the bench as an amicus
curaie in nine riot cases on the direction of the apex court which had on
May 5 sought an "independent overview" of the evidence recorded
by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
The apex court had asked Ramachandran to
analyse the report, take comments and statements of the witnesses and, if
needed, interact with them to give an "objective" assessment of
the evidence.
The senior advocate prepared the report after
visiting Ahmedabad and talking to many people including witnesses and police
officers.
