From 31 years of sentence in jail, to the court refusing a stay over Teersa's probe, here's what's happened in Gujarat.
Designated court examining the Naroda Patia case, on Friday sentenced Suresh Netalkar alias Sehjad to 31 years imprisonment for his active role in killing 96 people in Naroda Patia on February 28, 2002.
Netalkar was one of the accused in the case, but he absconded when the court was pronouncing judgment of the case a month ago. Seven others were also convicted for 31 years jail term in the case.
The court pronounced the sentence after Special Investigation Team (SIT) produced Netalkar before the court after arresting him from Nandurbar in Maharashtra. “The court rejected Suresh’s pleadings to show leniency towards him as he is poor and responsibility of his family,” said Akhil Desai, special prosecutor of the SIT. “Netalkar should be punished with maximum imprisonment as he played active role in killing,” the lawyer said.
On August 31, the designated judge Jyotsna Yagik had sentenced 28 years jail term to BJP MLA Maya Kodnani, life term to key accused Babu Bajarnagi apart from seven accused who sentenced for 31 years while 22 accused for 24 years. The court had kept pending case of Suresh as he was absconding.
‘19 years on, poor still wait for their land’
Political parties in the poll-bound state are falling over themselves while promising homes to the poor as poll sops. However, an RTI activist and lawyer alleged that some marginalised people, who had deposited amounts way back in 1993 as per a government decision for low cost land, are still awaiting their promised lands.
One of the beneficiaries of the scheme, Vinod Parmar has sought allocation of the promised plot within 30 days along with compensation. On Parmar’s behalf, lawyer and RTI activist Vinod Pandya has issued legal notices to the state R&B department, Rajkot collector and mamlatdar of Dhoraji town.
According to the notice, the government had floated a scheme in 1993 announcing allotment of 25 sq mtr and 40 sq mtr plots at low rate of Rs10 per sq mtr. Numerous people applied for the plots and also deposited the requisite amounts before the government officials in Dhoraji and other talukas.
Court refuses Teesta stay over probe
Justice RH Shukla of Gujarat high court, on Friday refused to grant stay over police investigation against social activist Teesta Setalvad. The case pertains to a defamation case lodged against Setalvad by her former aide Rais Khan Pathan.
Setalvad had filed a petitioner challenging DCP Zone-5’s investigation on Khan’s complaint. The matter came up for hearing before justice Shukla who, while refusing to interfere in the ongoing investigation, fixed November 2 for hearing on the matter after issuing notice to the state government.
Khan was working with Setalvad in her NGO, Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), which is fighting for the cause of 2002 communal riot victims in the capacity of a field co-coordinator till 2008, but was thereafter sacked from the NGO.
On June 20, 2012 Khan had filed an application before magisterial court seeking legal actions against her for publishing and propagating derogatory remarks about him in her magazine Communalism Combat.
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