Post-Godhra riots: SC pulls up Setalvad for letters to UN panel

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday castigated social activist Teesta Setalvad-led NGO raking up the sub-judice 2002 post-Godhra Gujarat communal riots cases with an international body, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, asserting that move showed that the civil rights activist had more confidence in that organisation.

Faced with the ire of the apex court, Setalvad assured it that in future she will not seek the intervention of such an international body in the matter.

“We don’t appreciate a letter being sent to a foreign country. We can’t approve of it,” said a special bench comprising Justice DK Jain, Justice P Sathasivam and Justice Aftab Alam.

The court expressed its displeasure over Setalvad’s counsel Kamini Jaiswal’s argument that such an international organisation was not a funding agency but monitors the human rights violations worldwide.

“This shows that you have more confidence in that organisation than us,” the bench said.

It said, “Tomorrow the proceedings of this court will be reported to that organisation .” What police commissioner does or joint police commissioner does will also be reported to the international body, the court said.

“We are capable of doing our work. We don’t want to be guided,” the bench remarked, adding, “if you have any grievance, you can come to us. We are here.” The court expressed its anguish in the wake of the revelation that the letters that Setalvad was writing to the head of SIT probing post Godhra riot cases, RK Raghavan were also being forwarded to the UN agency . After it, Jaiswal assured the court that Setalvad in future would not forward any such communication to the UN organisation.

Meanwhile, the apex court also placed on its record, the comments of amicus curaie on the "confidential inquiry report"of a former CBI official over allegations of investigation lapses by SIT in post-Godhra riots, including Gulberg Society case in which Chief Minister Narendra Modi was questioned. The Gulberg Society case had shocked the nation after former Congresss MP Ehsan Jaffry was burnt to death by a mob in which 63 others were killed in 2002.

The “confidential inquiry report” was prepared by ex-CBI DIG A K Malhotra . The court posted the matter for further hearing on March 3.

Senior counsel Raju Ramachandran , was appointed as amicus in the matter after counsel Prashant Bhushan had recused himself following objections by Gujarat government on account of his anti-Modi views. The SIT, headed by former CBI director Raghavan , was set up by the apex court to investigate the Godhra train carnage and the communal riots that followed.