Monitor fake encounters in Gujarat with same zeal as coal allocations: Kapil Sibal to SC

NEW DELHI: The judiciary should take up monitoring fake encounters in Gujarat and with the same gusto it has been overseeing the investigation into coal allocations, Union Law Minister Kapil Sibal has said, as he launched a broadside at BJP and its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

Sibal also suggested the Central Bureau of Investigation’s recent actions in the Hindalco coal block allocation case were akin to putting the proverbial cart before the horse, and the judiciary’s vision of what constituted public interest could be “erroneous” as its decisions had hurt key economic sectors.

But much of his ire was directed at BJP, especially Modi, whom he called “Nirantar Virodhi” (perpetual opposer), punning on the Gujarat chief minister’s name.

“The judiciary is monitoring the whole scam issue. I think they should also be monitoring fake encounters in Gujarat. Why isn’t the judiciary monitoring fake encounters? Is life less important than production and allocation of coal?” Sibal said in an interview.

“If allocation of coal blocks is important, so are fake encounters at the behest of the government.

That’s all. As a citizen, I think it is equally important, perhaps more important.” Congress and other parties have accused the Modi government of having followed an official policy of so-called “fake encounters” in Gujarat, in which mainly Muslims have been killed. The most famous of the cases is the 2004 killing of Ishrat Jahan

along with three others, whom the state police and Intelligence Bureau described as part of a Lashkar-e-Taiba module tasked with assassinating Modi. CBI, which is investigating these killings under directions from the Gujarat High Court, has labelled them fake.

Sibal called Modi, whose recent rallies have attracted large crowds and drawn unflattering comparisons for Rahul Gandhi, a bubble that was bound to burst. “This bubble is based on no substance.

When you see a balloon that goes up, it ultimately bursts. My prediction is that the Modi bubble will burst before the election. At some stage, there will be no oxygen left,” he said. He also raised doubts on how CBI handled the case involving Hindalco.

“I am the law minister so I don’t want to give a firm opinion on this, but personally speaking, what should normally happen in such cases is that someone should challenge the allocation before launching a prosecution. What happens if the allocation was challenged and it was found to be alright, then where is the occasion for prosecution. I cannot say whether the prosecution is right or wrong because I don’t know the facts.”