Appeal against clean chit to Narendra Modi in Gujarat riots

Supreme Court will hear on October 26

The Supreme Court will hear on October 26 a petition filed by Zakia Jafri against giving clean chit to PM Narendra Modi in the 2002 Gujarat riots cases. Zakia Jafri is the wife of late Congress leader Ehsan Jafri. Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of the state at the time of Gujarat riots.

A three-member bench headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar said the matter is being adjourned till October 26. However, the bench also made it clear that the hearing will not be postponed thereafter. Let us tell you that earlier in April also Zakia Jafri had demanded postponement of the hearing, which was accepted by the court. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal was appearing for Zakia Jafri in the court. Kapil Sibal told the court that not much time was available for hearing the case as it was suddenly notified. However, the Supreme Court rejected Sibal’s contention and said that the matter was notified long back. Sibal told the court that the matter was postponed in April this year and then due to Corona, it could not be heard till now. Kapil Sibal had requested the court to fix a date for hearing the matter.

Significantly, former MP Ehsan Jafri was also among the 68 people who were murdered on February 28, 2002 at Gulbarg Society in Ahmedabad. The incident took place a day after the Sabarmati Express was set on fire in Godhra, Gujarat. In Godhra incident also 59 people lost their lives. On February 8, 2012, the SIT submitted the closure report of the investigation and in it, Narendra Modi was given a clean chit along with 63 others. Zakia Jafri had filed a petition in the Supreme Court in the year 2018 after the application filed against the investigation of the SIT in the Gujarat High Court was rejected.