No CBI probe into Gujarat riots: SC

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday turned down the plea of a CBI inquiry into the post-Godhra communal riot cases of Gujarat which are currently being probed by the SC-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT).

“That chapter (CBI inquiry) is closed. If we have to assign investigation to some other agency, it will amount to putting the clock back. All the investigation (done by SIT) will go down the river. Again, it will be a fresh investigation and we do not know how many years it will take,” said a special bench comprising Justice D K Jaina, Justice P Sathasivam and Justice Aftab Alam.

Advocate Kamini Jaiswal, appearing for the petitioner NGO ‘Citizens for Justice and Peace’, listed out serious lapses on the part of the five-member SIT headed by former CBI director R K Raghavan. She alleged certain members among the SIT were now accused of having a role in the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat in 2002.

Ms Jaiswal said the lapses went to the root of the cases and hence requested the court for a CBI probe into the sensitive cases — the riot cases at Naroda Patiya, Naroda Gam, Gulbarg society, Ode, Mehsana, Anand and Sabrkantha, as also the complaint by Jakia Jafri, widow of ex-MP Ehsan Jafri who was killed in the riots, accusing chief minister Narendra Modi, top politicians and cops of having played a part in the riots. “I am pressing for CBI probe,” she said.

The court rejected the plea. It, however, took note of the serious allegations levelled by the NGO against some members of the probe team. The bench asked the head of the panel Mr Raghavan to respond to such allegations. It posted the matter for hearing on March 15.