The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday postponed to the hearing till April 14 on the petition filed by Zakia Jafri challenging the clean chit given by the Special Investigation Team to the then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi. Zakia Jafri’s husband and former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri was killed by a mob which attacked Gulberg society during 2002 riots in Ahmedabad.
Supreme Court has adjourned till April 14, a plea of Zakia Jafri, widow of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, challenging the clean chit given by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and several others in 2002 Gujarat riots. pic.twitter.com/hPVgqvFF1d
— ANI (@ANI) February 4, 2020
Zakia Jafri had lodged a petition in the apex court on October 5, 2017, challenging the Gujarat High Court’s judgment which upheld the clean chit given to politicians and officials by the SIT in its conclusion, citing lack of “prosecutable evidence” against them. The Gujarat High Court maintained the investigation of the Special Investigation Team, giving a clean chit to 64 people including Narendra Modi. According to Zakia Jafri, the Gujarat High Court “erroneously” upheld the Magistrate Court order absolving all accused.
Read: The real whitewashing – how the crime of burning 59 Hindus alive was covered up
Senior advocate Mukul Rastogi, representing SIT argued in the SC that Zakia’s case was unsustainable and that “it was an issue of fact and for how long it can go on.” Solicitor General Tushar Malhotra claimed that the parallel findings by the subordinate courts and High court led to the rejection of Zakia’s petition in the past as well.
Ehsan Jafri and 68 others were brutally killed by the mob in the aftermath of the Godhra train burning. The mob barged in the Muslim dominated Gulberg Society of Ahmedabad and killed 69 people. In 2006, the police filed a case against Modi, some ministers and officials in response to a complaint filed by Zakia.
On April 27, 2009, the Supreme Court ordered SIT to take action on the complaint of Zakia. SIT investigated the case and a filed closure report in 2012. The closure report cited that no substantial evidence was found against Modi or other accused officials.
