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Remand extended for Kodnani

Special Correspondent

AHMEDABAD: The Ahmedabad Metropolitan Court on Wednesday extended the police remand of the former Gujarat Minister of State for Women’s Welfare, Mayaben Kodnani, and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader, Jaideep Patel, by three more days till April 4.

They were produced before the court at the expiry of their four days remand granted earlier, but the Special Investigation Team(SIT) requested the court for seven more days remand and the court granted three more days.

The advocate for the SIT, Sudhir Brahmbhatt, told the court that it was yet to complete questioning of Ms. Kodnani and Mr. Patel to unearth the truth about the source of the pistol the former minister was allegedly brandishing from her car, involvement of their co-conspirators, and other issues relating to the investigation of the Naroda Gaam massacre of 2002.

In a brief chat with journalists just before they were produced before the court, Ms. Kodnani alleged that the Congress had falsely implicated her in the case and said the people of the State would give a “fitting reply” to the party in the parliamentary elections on April 30. Mr. Patel alleged that the SIT was refusing to listen to their side of defence and was pursuing only the allegations made by the victims. Claiming innocence, both said they had full faith in the judiciary.

Ms. Kodnani was forced to resign from the Narendra Modi Cabinet on March 27 after the Gujarat High Court cancelled her and Mr. Patel’s anticipatory bails granted by the Ahmedabad sessions court on February 5. Both Ms. Kodnani and Mr. Patel later surrendered before the SIT appointed by the Supreme Court the same day and were produced before the Metropolitan Court the next day and were sent to four days police remand.

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