A statement by the Supreme Court-appointed special investigation
team (SIT) has once again put an end to demand by witnesses for placing more
evidence in the Naroda Patia case of post-Godhra riots.
An application was filed last month by eyewitnesses and convener of Jan Sangharsh Manch Amrish Patel seeking direction to the SIT to submit final report as per section 173(2) of CrPC on basis of earlier applications for further investigation filed before the SIT and special court since 2009. In response to this, the SIT made a statement that it would submit a report as per the Supreme Court’s directions.
The SIT, however, did not specify the time when it would be placing its final report on the further investigation conducted in this case, said petitioner’s counsel S H Iyer.
On the basis of this statement, designated judge Jyotsnaben Yagnik disposed of the application saying that the issue was replied by the probe agency and that there was no need to keep the plea pending.
The court has completed trial against 61 persons including former minister Maya Kodnani and Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi on charges of killing 97 Muslims at the industrial locality on February 28, 2002. The court has kept its verdict in this case pending.
Earlier, it was requested by these applicants that further probe was required to be conducted with regard to larger conspiracy, connivance or criminal negligence by cops in incidents that resulted in deaths and destruction and analysis of call details contained in the CD produced by senior IPS officer Rahul Sharma. When the issue came before the court last year, the court rejected the plea on SIT’s claim that further investigation was already underway as per the Supreme Court’s directions.
However, the petitioners filed another application last month arguing that the SIT had not filed any report in connection with earlier applications for the last two years, though the court had specifically asked it to submit or forward the report to the court that has taken cognizance of the Naroda Patia case.
An application was filed last month by eyewitnesses and convener of Jan Sangharsh Manch Amrish Patel seeking direction to the SIT to submit final report as per section 173(2) of CrPC on basis of earlier applications for further investigation filed before the SIT and special court since 2009. In response to this, the SIT made a statement that it would submit a report as per the Supreme Court’s directions.
The SIT, however, did not specify the time when it would be placing its final report on the further investigation conducted in this case, said petitioner’s counsel S H Iyer.
On the basis of this statement, designated judge Jyotsnaben Yagnik disposed of the application saying that the issue was replied by the probe agency and that there was no need to keep the plea pending.
The court has completed trial against 61 persons including former minister Maya Kodnani and Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi on charges of killing 97 Muslims at the industrial locality on February 28, 2002. The court has kept its verdict in this case pending.
Earlier, it was requested by these applicants that further probe was required to be conducted with regard to larger conspiracy, connivance or criminal negligence by cops in incidents that resulted in deaths and destruction and analysis of call details contained in the CD produced by senior IPS officer Rahul Sharma. When the issue came before the court last year, the court rejected the plea on SIT’s claim that further investigation was already underway as per the Supreme Court’s directions.
However, the petitioners filed another application last month arguing that the SIT had not filed any report in connection with earlier applications for the last two years, though the court had specifically asked it to submit or forward the report to the court that has taken cognizance of the Naroda Patia case.
