The Special Trial Court for the 2002 Naroda Patiya riots today reserved its order till March 4 on an application demanding direction to the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe certain aspects of the case not investigated earlier. Salim Shaikh an eyewitness and victim of the massacre had moved the application to probe the role of certain persons in connection with the riots. The application demanded the direction on the basis of a CD prepared by IPS officer Rahul Sharma and a sting operation carried out by a media group in which a number of persons had allegedly made confessions related to their role in the riots. Shaikhs lawyer Mukul Sinha said a deliberate attempt was being made by the SIT not to include these persons as accused in the case. He said a number of persons had made mobile calls to each other on February 28 the day of the massacre but the SIT has not investigated the reasons behind the calls. Sinha added that he had submitted an application to the SIT way back in June 2009 to probe into these aspects. Since the SIT has not done anything on the application till date,he was constrained to move the trial court,he said. SIT Special Public Prosecutor Akhilesh Desai contested the claims,adding that the team is investigating into each and every aspect mentioned in the application. He called the application premature and contended to reject the same. After hearing the lawyers of the applicant and the SIT,the special trial court reserved its order.
