Centre cannot arrest Modi: Sibal

Union Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal said that the Centre "cannot" arrest Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and it is police only who can do it.

Ahmedabad: Union Telecom Minister Kapil
Sibal on Wednesday said that the Centre "cannot" arrest Gujarat Chief
Minister Narendra Modi and it is police only who can do it.

Sibal`s remarks came in the background of recent
comments made by Modi in Godhra in which he said "The Union
government every morning announces that it would arrest Modi.

Instead of this if it talks about the development of the
farmers here, even we would be happy to cooperate with them".

In a reply to a question, Sibal said "The right of
arresting anybody is with police, Centre cannot do anything in
it."
Speaking about the 2002 communal riots, Sibal said, "I
am very pained that the progress of the cases (of 2002 riots),
which were initiated way back in 2002, is very slow as nine
years have passed".

This shows that the kind of emergency required in such
cases is not being felt. We want to ask how long should people
(victims) wait? This cases should be tried on day-to-day basis
so that people can get justice on time, the minister said.

"After nine years, we are still discussing whether
these cases should go to CBI or not, or whether their trial
should be conducted in Mumbai or Gujarat," Sibal said adding "We should think why such cases are not treated as urgent
cases as this is a question of lives of somebody`s daughter,
mother, brothers and fathers."

You have appointed one Nanavati commission, and the
hearing of the riot cases is going on for the past nine years.
All the evidences will be destroyed in the period of nine
years," Sibal said.

Speaking about IPS officer sanjiv Bhatt, who filed an
affidavit in the Supreme Court against chief minister Narendra
Modi, Sibal said, "This shows that India`s ruh (soul) is still
alive".

PTI

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