2002 riots: SIT seeks another extension

Confirming that he has submitted the progress report before the apex court recently,SIT chief and former CBI director R K Raghavan said,“The matter will be heard sometime this month and we are waiting for the apex court’s instructions.”Raghavan refused to comment on the content and requests made in the progress report.

“More time is sought on grounds that a large number of people named in the petition are yet to be questioned and that the three-member team needs more time before drafting a final report,” a source said. If allowed,this will be SIT’s second extension for completing investigations in the complaint filed by Zakia Jafri,the widow of slain Congress leader Ehsan Jafri,who was burnt alive at his residence in Gulberg Society on February 29,2002.

Giving it an extension of five months,a Supreme Court bench,headed by Justice D K Jain,had on July 31 last year asked the SIT to conclude its investigation in Jafri’s complaint and file its final report before the court on or before December 31. This had come about three months after the court on April 27 that year had ordered the SIT to “take steps as required in law” to probe a complaint that Modi and 62 others,including his 2002 cabinet ministers,senior policemen and bureaucrats had orchestrated the post-Godhra statewide riots.

Already quizzed

* Gordhan Zadaphia,ex-Gujarat Home Minister

* I K Jadeja,ex-Gujarat minister

* Ashok Narayan,ex-Additional Chief Secretary

* Swarankanta Verma,then in-charge Chief Secy

* K Chakravarti,the then state police chief

* G C Raiger,the then Additional DGP (Intelligence)

* Raiger’s successor R B Sreekumar

* Maniram,ex-Additional DGP (Law & Order)

* Former Godhra Collector Jayanthi Ravi

* Shivanand Jha,SIT member and the then Additional Commissioner of Police (Ahmedabad)

* Ex-Godhra SP Raju Bhargava

* Ex-Bhavnagar SP Rahul Sharma