Legal Battle likely over SIT next month

Next month will see high pitched legal battle when Special Investigating Team will submit its report to the Supreme Court. After recording the statement of Gujarat Chief Minister, now SIT team has to sit and assemble together all evidences in meaningful sequence.

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The media trial of 2002 riots post train burning incident of Godhra is hurting the Special Investigation Team. SIT will submit its report to the apex court by 30th April. But before that pressure tactics to delay the trial have begun. Two questions are being raised whether Narendra Modi would be called again for interrogation and FIR against him would be filed.

SIT chief Mr R.K. Raghavan in an interview to a news channel said,” It is a very big step forward in trying to understand and unravel quite a few mysteries in the matter...I am happy that we were able to get the CM for questioning. I have to appreciate the evidence."

He declined to disclose the details of questions posed to the chief minister, but said that they were broadly pertained to the issues raised by Ms Jaffrey, widow of former Congress M.P. Ehsan Jaffrey, in her petition.

The petition filed by Ms Jaffrey accuses Mr Modi and 61 others, including some of his cabinet colleagues, of conspiracy in the violence at Gulbarg Society, a housing colony in Ahmedabad where they used to live.

Among other things, they are accused of instructing policemen and officials to not respond to the frantic pleas for help from Mr Jaffrey and others after a mob attacked the residential area, trapping them inside.

The witnesses in this case have wide gaps in their statements from 2002 till date. Soon after the massacre a dozen muslim witnesses told the police that Jaffrey had fired in self defence. In this firing a rioter was killed and 14 others were injured. They had said that this had let the mob attack Muslims with vengeance.

One Imtiaz Pathan told SIT that Mr Jaffrey had made phone calls to Modi, who instead of providing help had abused. Incidentally, there are no call records available to establish this charge. One of the witness in Naroda Patiya case has gone on records of saying that false charges in the affidavits were added under the pressure of Teesta Setalwad’s NGO.

Many claims of media and NGOs might get jolt after the report of SIT will be submitted to the supreme court at the end of the next month. To safe guard their interests Citizens for Justice and Peace and some other voluntary organizations , have started for expressing doubts about the SIT's style of functioning. Ms Setalvad had even filed a petition in the Supreme Court demanding reconstitution of the SIT.

Filing of FIR against the Chief Minister would need substantiate evidences. When this question was asked to Mr Raghavan, he declined to comment. The SIT's job was to “present our findings to the Supreme Court and then await its directions,” he said.

"I must have a good look at what has been collected in terms of evidence. I must appreciate evidence then possibly remit it for legal opinion and then finalise my report to the Supreme Court. Deadline is April 30th and I'm reasonably confident that I'll beat the deadline," he said.