New Delhi: The Supreme Court-appointed SIT probing
the role of Chief Minister Narendra Modi and other politicians
in the 2002 Gujarat riots in its report has named former state
minister Gordhan Zadafia and an ex-top cop M K Tandon for
their alleged complicity.
The Apex court allowed the Special Investigation Team
(SIT) probing some riot cases afresh to quiz Zadafia, Tandon
and two others named in the report submitted to it following
plea by the team.
The court permitted the SIT to carry out further
investigation into the cases, including the killing of
ex-Congress MP Ehsan Jafri in which Modi has been questioned
for his alleged role.
The order was passed by a special Bench headed by
Justice D K Jain after SIT`s chief and former CBI Director R K
Raghavan made a plea that some more persons were required to
be interrogated.
The Bench noted that the SIT wanted to probe the
alleged involvement of Zadafia, a former minister of state for
home and Tandon, an ex-ADGP and two other policemen. Zadafia
had fallen out with Modi after the riots.
Senior advocate Ram Jethmalani, appearing for a local
MLA who has been named as an accused in the complaint filed by
Jafri`s widow, submitted that he should be heard for his plea
seeking recall of the April 27, 2009 order asking SIT to look
into Zakia Jafri`s allegations. Zakia in her complaint accused
politicians, bureaucrats and officers of complicity in the
riots.
The court said it would look into the plea later as the
SITwas proceeding for probe against some people.
The senior advocate submitted that the filing of the
reports in the sealed cover was like an anathema to the
judicial process and asked the court to bring them in the
public domain.
Meanwhile, former CBI DIG A K Malhotra, who was
appointed by the apex court to verify allegations of lapses in
investigations being conducted by the SIT into the cases
including the Gulbarg society case in which Jafri was killed,
submitted its report in the sealed cover.
The report also contained the comments of the SIT
chief Raghavan.
The Bench said the report would be handed over to
advocate Prashant Bhushan, who is assisting the court as
amicus curiae, in the petition filed by Jafri`s widow.
It made it clear to Bhushan that he would maintain the
confidentiality of the report.
"We expect that you will keep the copy of the report
to yourself," the Bench also, comprising Justices P Sathasivam
and Aftab Alam, said.
The order to this effect was passed amid protest by
the Gujarat government counsel, who wanted Bhushan to be out
of the Jafri matter.
The state government counsel sought that the petition
of Jafri be tagged with other riots cases.
"Bhushan has some pre-concieved view on subject," the
counsel said.
His opposition was not accepted by the Bench which
said "Bhushan will only be assisting us as an amicus curiae".
-PTI
