New Delhi, Oct 17: An NGO today made a serious
allegation in the Supreme Court that the Gujarat government
had appointed those persons as public prosecutor in the trial
of post-Godhra riot cases who had direct links with the Vishwa
Hindu Parishad and ruling BJP.
Amicus curiae Harish Salve, taking into account the
allegations levelled by NGO citizens for peace and justice,
submitted before a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice
V N Khare that the entire panel of public prosecutors should
be vetted by Attorney General Soli J Sorabjee.
Appearing for Gujarat government, Additional Solicitor
General Mukul Rohtagi, said that the state in consultation
with its Advocate General has appointed new special public
prosecutors for the riot cases.
He said that the list of special public prosecutors would
soon be sent to the attorney general for vetting. Sorabjee
said that he would make suggestions on the names of the PPS
after taking into account the views of all concerned.
Secretary of the NGO, Teesta Setalvad, filed an affidavit
in the apex court alleging that Best Bakery case PP was one
Raghuvir Pandya, who was a member of RSS and a card-holding
member of BJP.
One Chetan Shah, an ardent VHP supporter, was appointed
as PP in two major cases Gulbarga Society massacre in which
former Congres MP Ahsan Jafri was brutally killed along with
70 others, she said.
Dilip Trivedi, General Secretary of Mehsana district unit
of VHP, was PP in the case of Sardarpura carnage, she said.
Bureau Report
