The Gujarat chief minister appeared at the office of the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigating Team for 2 sessions of grilling that continued past midnight.
Ending five days of suspense, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi on Saturday finally appeared at the office of the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigating Team (SIT) looking into the Gulbarg massacre case.
Modi emerged after two five-hour sessions with the SIT at its Gandhinagar office, claiming that he had proved his detractors wrong by answering all the questions posed by SIT member AK Malhotra. “I hope that now people will stop spreading rumours about me,” he said. None of the officers of the SIT were recommended by Gujarat, he pointed out.
Modi took a break after the first session in the afternoon. “Even the SIT has to do some homework,” he quipped, but he wanted the process to end and went back to the SIT at 9pm. He finally emerged around 1am on Sunday to say that he had met all requirements.
Clad in a crisp white kurta and pyjama, Modi was still his usual acerbic self, as he greeted the media with folded hands. Coming out of the SIT office, he appeared unruffled and joked that the SIT should make good use of the time he was giving.
With his trademark swagger intact, he claimed that his appearance at the court was a befitting response to ‘vested interests’. “I have spoken at length with the SIT. My conduct should be a fitting reply to my critics.”
Soon after, he went in for a closed-door confabulation with BJP leader Arun Jaitley, who is also a Supreme Court lawyer. Modi appeared before the SIT without the aid of a lawyer, but Jaitley had specially flown in to be available for consultation.
Modi has been named as an accused in the Gulbarg massacre case by former MP Ehsan Jaffri’s widow Zakia in a petition in the Supreme Court. Jaffri was killed in Naroda when a mob attacked in the wake of the Godhra incident in 2002.
According to sources, only Malhotra questioned Modi during the entire session which was video recorded; no other official was allowed to do so.
“The interrogation mainly centred around Zakia’s complaint. Malhotra asked Modi what he was doing during the Godhra train carnage and the massacres that followed in its wake. He was asked what action he took till the formation of the Nanavati Commission. He was also asked to respond to the former DGP RB Sreekumar’s complaint regarding his alleged inaction during the riots and his alleged order to police officials to let the riots continue,” a source disclosed.
Modi reportedly replied that his government had made every possible effort to prevent the riots.
It was a day of intense drama within and outside the SIT office. The state bomb disposal squad conducted intensive combing of the SIT office and the entire premises of the Old Sachivalaya campus. The chambers of SIT chief RK Raghavan, Malhotra and all other senior officers too were combed.
Responding to speculation that Modi’s summons in a criminal case would be detrimental for his political career, Gujarat government spokesperson Jaynarayan Vyas retorted: “We have always said that he will abide by rule of law but much hype is being created. There is no setback as far as the BJP government or Modi are concerned. Mr Modi is cooperating,” he said.
Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily said it was “unfortunate” for a chief minister to be in a situation like that.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}