Top court to hear plea against clean chit to Modi in Gujarat riots case

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 13

The Supreme Court will hear on Monday Congress MP Ehsan Jafri’s widow Zakia Jafri’s petition challenging the clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi — who was the Chief Minister of Gujarat during 2002 riots — and others and exonerating them of allegations of a larger conspiracy behind the riots.

A Bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and Deepak Gupta said the matter would be heard on November 19 as it needed to go through the petition in detail.

Ehsan Jafri and 68 others were killed by a mob that attacked Gulberg Society in Ahmedabad on February 28, 2002 during the riots that broke out following the Godhra train carnage that claimed the lives of 58 karsevaks.

Alleging a larger conspiracy behind the riots, Zakia had in 2006 demanded registration of a criminal case against then Gujarat Chief Minister Modi, some ministers and bureaucrats. The Supreme Court had in 2008 ordered the state government to re-investigate nine major riots cases, including the Gulberg massacre.

The Supreme Court had in April 2009 asked the SIT to look into her complaint. During the probe, the SIT had examined Modi in March 2012 and submitted a closure report in 2013, saying there was no evidence to substantiate the allegations against Modi.

The Gujarat High Court had in October last year upheld the clean chit given to Modi and 58 others by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Supreme Court. Zakia’s petition has now challenged the SIT’s findings and a magistrate’s order accepting its closure report filed in 2012.

The Case

• MP Ehsan Jafri and 68 others were killed by a mob that attacked Gulberg Society in Ahmedabad on February 28, 2002, during the riots that broke out following the Godhra train carnage
• Ehsan Jafri’s widow Zakia has now challenged the SC-appointed SIT’s findings exonerating then CM Narendra Modi and others of allegations of a larger conspiracy behind the riots