The Supreme Court Friday, upheld SIT’s clean chit to then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in 2002 Gujarat riots. The SC was hearing a plea filed by Zakia Jafri, widow of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, who was killed during the violence at Gulbarg Society in Ahmedabad on February 28, 2002, challenging the clean chit given by the SIT to PM Modi and 62 others for their alleged role in the violence.
Supreme Court dismisses plea filed by Zakia Jafri, widow of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, challenging the clean chit given by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to the then state CM Narendra Modi and several others in the 2002 Gujarat riots.
— ANI (@ANI) June 24, 2022
While delivering its verdict, the apex court said that the “appeal is devoid of merits”. A bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar refused to order a probe into allegations of a “larger conspiracy” behind the Gujarat riots.
Last year, the court had reserved its order on a petition filed by Zakia Jafri against the Gujarat High Court’s order, rejecting her plea against the SIT decision.
During the hearing, the SIT informed the bench, that apart from the present petition, no one had objected to its investigation into the 2002 Gujarat riots. The SIT had termed the allegations of Hindu groups planning the train burning to frame Muslims as ‘absurd’.
Senior attorney Mukul Rohatgi, who represented the SIT, informed the bench that if the trial court and the Gujarat High Court’s ruling on Jafri’s appeal are not upheld, it might lead to an endless process because of the intentions of some people like social activist Teesta Setalvad, Petitioner Number 2 in the case.
Kapil Sibal on behalf of Jafri told the court that they have not argued about any alleged involvement of the former chief minister and that their focus is on a larger conspiracy that was not looked into by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
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 Ms Jafri, the Gujarat High Court “erroneously” upheld the Magistrate Court order absolving all accused.
Ehsan Jafri and 68 others were brutally killed by the mob in the aftermath of the Godhra train burning. The mob barged into 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.
In the 2002 Godhra riots case, Supreme Court-monitored SIT was formed to look into the allegations of one Zakia Jafri and as part of the process in March 2010.
In September 2013, The SIT gave a clean chit to Modi against Jafri’s allegations. The Ahmedabad court too rejected a protest petition filed against the clean chit given to Narendra Modi in the 2002 riots case.
On October 5, 2017, the Gujarat High Court also upheld the order by the Ahmedabad Metropolitan Magistrate Court that had accepted the closure report submitted by the SIT.
