In a relief to Narendra Modi, the Gujarat high court on Wednesday rejected a petition seeking directions to the Nanavati Commission to summon the state chief minister for questioning in connection with the 2002 riots.
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a petition seeking a direction to the Nanavati Commission, which is inquiring into the 2002 Gujarat riot cases, to summon Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his alleged role in the carnage. A bench comprising justices D K Jain and A K Dave allowed an NGO, Jan Sangarsh Manch, to withdraw its petition challenging a Gujarat high courts order.
A bench of justices D K Jain and A K Dave issued notices to the commission and the state government, asking them to file their responses within four weeks.
The Nanavati Commission, which is probing the post-Godhra communal riots, has summoned senior police officer Sanjiv Bhatt. Bhatt had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court implicating Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in connection to the riots.Sources said that the commission has asked Bhatt to appear before it on May 16 after an application filed before it by the Jan Sangarsh Manch, an NGO representing some of the riot victims.
The sealed cover was handed over by the Government Pleader Prakash Jani to a division bench of Chief Justice S J Mukhopadhaya and Justice Akil Kureshi, during the hearing on a petition seeking cross-examination of Chief Minister Narendra Modi and three others.
The Gujarat high court on Monday asked the Nanavati Commission, probing the 2002 riot cases, to clarify by April 1 whether it will summon Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the matter.
Advocate Mukul Sinha of JSM, representing a section of riot victims, said that Justice Mehta, who was appointed to the riot panel in place of late Justice K G Shah, had granted bail to Babu Bajrangi by his order dated October 19, 2002."The interesting thing in Justice Mehta's order is that it does not cite any reason for granting bail to a prime accused and two others in the Naroda Patia case," said Sinha.