Supreme Court to Take up on Nov 19 Plea Challenging SIT’s Clean Chit to PM Modi in 2002 Gulberg Society Massacre

Last year, the Gujarat High Court had rejected the petition moved by Zakia, directing her to approach higher forums if she sought further investigation.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court would hear on November 19 a plea filed by Zakia Jafri, widow of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, challenging the clean chit given by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to PM Narendra Modi, other top politicians and bureaucrats in the 2002 Gulberg Society massacre. (Also read: PM Modi in UK, Skips Question on Gujarat Riots)

Last year, the Gujarat High Court had rejected the petition moved by Zakia, directing her to approach higher forums if she sought further investigation.

In 2012, the metropolitan magistrate, in his order on a batch of petitions against Modi, then Gujarat Chief Minister, and 57 others, had said, “According to SIT, no offence has been established against any of the 58 persons listed in Zakia’s complaint.” Zakia’s complaint was against Modi, his ministerial colleagues, top police officials and BJP functionaries accusing them of a wider conspiracy in the riots in which more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed.

The SIT had submitted its report to the Supreme Court after conducting investigations into Zakia’s complaint during which it questioned several people, including PM Modi, who was quizzed reportedly for over nine hours.

In its earlier order, the Supreme court had said that if the SIT found there was no sufficient evidence or reasonable grounds for proceeding against anyone named in the complaint, the court shall issue a notice to the complainant and make available to her copies of the statements of the witnesses, other related documents and the investigation report.

On SIT’s closure report, Zakia had said she was “pained”. Vowing to continue her fight, she had said, “In the court of the Lord above, justice can get delayed but not denied. I am sure that truth will come out and I will get justice.”