Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi is likely to not appear tomorrow before the special investigation team (SIT) probing a post-Godhra riots case, a source in the state government said today.
The SIT had summoned Modi to remain present before its chief, former Central Bureau of Investigation director RK Raghavan, tomorrow in connection with the complaint of Jakia Jaffery,
wife of slain former MP Ehsan Jaffery, in the Gulberg Society
riot case.
The SIT had not received any communication from the chief minister's office till this evening, Raghavan told the Press Trust of India.
The Supreme Court had on April 27 last year asked the SIT to inquire into Zakia's complaint. Zakia said Modi and 62 others, including his cabinet colleagues, senior police officers, and senior bureaucrats aided and abetted the riots which left at least 1,000 people dead.
Jaffery, a former Congress MP, was killed along with 69 others by a mob at Gulberg society in February 2002.
Zakia approached the apex court after the Gujarat high court refused on November 3, 2007, to give any direction in the matter and asked her to seek redressal from the magistrate's court.
Zakia had alleged that between February and May 2002, there was a "deliberate and intentional failure" of the state governmentto protect the life and property of innocents.
Zakia today said from Surat that when everybody is waiting for Modi to be questioned, he should appear before the probe panel.
Congress general secretary and state in-charge P Sudhakar
Reddy said, "Modi, when elected back to power in 2007, had said
that he was not a chief minister but a common man. He should
depose before the SIT when a summons is issued in his name and prove that he is a common man."
The SIT had to face legal hurdles while probing Zakia's complaint. In July last year, former BJP legislator Kalu Malivad
(one of the 63 people named in the complaint) approached the
Gujarat high court seeking a stay on investigations by the SIT into Zakia Jaffery's complaint.
The high court had dismissed the petition saying that as the SIT was working directly under the supervision of the Supreme Court, it could not grant any relief in the matter.
Malivad then approached the apex court challenging the high court verdict.
In connection with Zakia's complaint, the SIT has already recorded the statements of a number of persons named in her
complaint. Among them are former minister of state for home Gordhan Zadaphia, BJP leader IK Jadeja, former BJP MLA from
Lunawada Kalu Malivad, sitting MLA from Mehsana Anil Patel, former IPS officer RB Sreekumar, social activist Teesta
Setalvad, inspector-general of police Shivanand Jha, some other senior police officers, and political leaders.
Comments: 1