2002 riots: Gujarat High Court adjourns hearing in Zakia Jafri's case

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat High Court adjourned the hearing of a petition filed by Zakia Jafri, widow of slain Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, against the Special Investigation Team's (SIT) closure report in the 2002 post-Godhra riots.

Justice N V Anjariya of the High Court adjourned the hearing of the case to verify translated documents and posted it to be heard on July 10.

Jafri had filed the petition last year challenging the order of the Ahmedabad metropolitan court which upheld the closure report filed by the Supreme Court-formed Special Investigation Team (SIT).

On February 8, 2012, SIT had filed a closure report and given a clean chit to former Gujarat chief minister and present Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as 58 others, including the then Gujarat ministers, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) functionaries, police and IAS officers in connection with the 2002 riots case.

On December 26, 2013, Metropolitan Magistrate B J Ganatra had rejected Zakia Jafri's petition challenging SIT's clean chit to Modi.

In her petition before the Gujarat High Court, Zakia Jafri had demanded making Modi and 59 others accused in riot cases.

On 28 February, 2002, after the Godhra train carnage, 68 people, including former MP Ehsan Jafri, were killed by a mob at Gulberg Society here during the riots.