Hearing resumes in Gorakhpur riots case where Yogi Adityanath is accused

ALLAHABAD: Hearing resumed today on a plea seeking investigation by an independent agency into the 2007 Gorakhpur riots in which Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had been named as one of the accused.

A division bench of justices Krishna Murari and Akhilesh Chandra Sharma posted the matter for further hearing tomorrow when arguments by the petitioners - Parvez Parwaz and Asad Hayat - will continue.

Parwaz is the complainant in the FIR that was filed in connection with the riots at Gorakhpur, while Hayat is one of the witnesses in the case.

"Today we drew the attention of the court towards the manner in which the state government has tried to hush up the case. We submitted that the state government did not lodge an FIR until two months after a court order passed to the effect in 2008," the petitioners' counsel S F A Naqvi said.

"We also underscored the casual fashion in which the CB- CID conducted and concluded its inquiry, the primary reason why we have prayed for investigation by an independent agency like the CBI or an SIT set up and monitored by the court," Naqvi said.

"We also submitted that the state government passed its order refusing to sanction prosecution of the chief minister on May 3. However, on the very next day when our petition came up for hearing before the court, the state government's counsel did not place this on record. That the sanction has been refused, was disclosed only on the subsequent date of hearing a week later," he said.