Court to decide SIT’s clean chit to Modi on October 28

Following the submission of SIT’s written arguments on Monday against complainant Zakia Jafri,Metropolitan Magistrate B J Ganatra reserved his order till October 28.

The SIT in its submission rubbished the allegations of Jafri in a detailed report containing 75 points.

“We have filed our submission that clears all doubts in the case. We have explained how SIT was formed by a SC order following a petition filed by the NHRC in 2003. The formation of SIT has nothing to do with Jafri’s complaint. The apex court gave us nine riot-related cases,out of which we have disposed six,” SIT’s senior counsel R S Jamuar said.

In February,the SIT filed its voluminous closure report stating that no evidence was found in the complaint.

In April,Jafri filed a protest petition challenging the report. She alleged that the SIT’s report was biased and demanded an independent agency for reinvestigation into her complaint.

Jafri’s lawyers raised the issue that even if witnesses cited in the case such as suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt,retired DGP R B Sreekumar were “liars” as per the SIT,it is up to the court to take cognizance in the matter and summon Modi and others. Jafri’s lawyers argued that truthfulness of witnesses had to be decided by the court and not by the SIT,and by doing so the SIT had acted in a biased manner.

HC reserves order on Sanjiv Bhatt’s plea

Vadodara: The Gujarat High Court on Monday reserved its order on documents related to 2002 riots which are said to be destroyed. Suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt,along with People’s Union for Civil Liberties,had filed a PIL in the HC demanding access to certain crucial riot-related documents,which were denied by the state government and Nanavati Commission that was probing the 2002 riots. ENS