With no official word yet on the report of the Special Investigation Team that probed allegations of involvement of Chief Minister Narendra Modi in 2002 post-Godhra riots, two separate applications were filed on Thursday before a magisterial court seeking copies of the final report submitted on Wednesday.
The court of Metropolitan Magistrate M.S. Bhatt issued notices to the SIT and posted the hearing to February 13, 2012 following the applications moved by social activists Teesta Setalvad and Mukul Sinha.
The Supreme Court-appointed SIT on Wednesday filed the final report in a sealed cover on the complaint by Zakia Jafri, wife of ex-Congress MP Eshan Jafri who was among the 69 persons killed in the Gulberg Housing society riots. Around 1,200 people were killed in the post-Godhra communal riots in the State.
Ms. Jafri in her complaint had sought prosecution of Mr. Modi, along with 57 others, for aiding and abetting communal riots.
There was no official confirmation whether or not the cases against Mr. Modi have been closed in the report or he has been given a clean chit. The Magistrate will now have to examine the report.
“We would like to see the report because at the moment we are concerned whether the order of Supreme Court has been complied with and whether or not all documents have been placed before the magistrate’s court,” said Ms. Setalvad, voicing apprehensions on the SIT action.
Reactions to the SIT report were being made based on media reports which suggested that Mr. Modi may have got relief.
“We had submitted all the facts to SIT, and then they have submitted such a report, it is very disappointing,” Ms. Jafri told reporters.
Mr. Sinha said, “At the moment we are demanding the copy of the report because without knowing the contents we are not able to move forward.”
On September 12, 2011 the Supreme Court had refused to pass any order on Mr. Modi’s alleged inaction in containing riots in 2002 and left it to the concerned magistrate’s court to decide the course of action against him on the basis of the SIT report.
Ms. Jafri had told the Supreme Court that a proper probe should be carried out by the SIT, headed by former CBI chief R.K. Raghavan, into her allegations of inaction and various acts of omission and commission by Mr. Modi and others during the riots.
