SIT probe generally vindicated: Raghavan

The head of the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT), R.K. Raghavan, said the SIT’s probe had been generally vindicated by the trial court verdict in the Gulbarg Society case, except for the part rejecting the idea of a conspiracy behind the riots.

Conspiracy theory

Responding to questions from The Hindu , Mr. Raghavan, former CBI Director, said the judge did not buy the prosecution’s conspiracy theory, but it was not because the evidence pointing to a conspiracy was weak. “Possibly, in the eyes of the judge, it was not convincing enough to sustain a conviction.”

Agreeing that the number of those acquitted — 36 — was high, he said, “We took the chance based on evidence collected industriously. I don’t fault the judge for not going with us.”

“Overall, it was a satisfying exercise, assisted by a dedicated team,” he said.