Gujarat Riots: The Supreme Court has upheld the clean chit of the SIT to Narendra Modi, the then Chief Minister of Gujarat, in the 2002 Gujarat riots (2002 Gujarat Riots). The court has dismissed the petition challenging the clean chit given by the SIT. This petition was filed by the wife of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, who was killed in the riots.
The petitioner is working at the behest of someone else
A bench headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar, Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, Justice CT Ravikumar said in its judgment that it appears that Zakia Jafri was acting at the behest of someone else. Many things have been written in his petition which are recorded in someone else’s affidavit. Those things have been found to be false.
No conspiracy of government machinery against minorities
The Supreme Court said in the verdict that the SIT has given its report after examining all the facts properly. During the investigation, no such evidence has been found which can even suspect that the conspiracy of violence against the minority community in the state was hatched at a high level.
Narendra Modi appeals to maintain peace
The Supreme Court has said in its decision that despite the lack of police, the state administration tried its best to quell the riots. Without wasting time, the central security forces and the army were called at the right time. The then Chief Minister Narendra Modi appealed to the public several times to maintain peace.
False allegations made for vested interests
The Supreme Court, in its judgment, said that the case was kept alive for 16 years after Zakia Jafri’s complaint in 2006 due to some vested interests and those who are involved in the misuse of the legal process, appropriate action should be taken against them.
Modi was not present in the meeting to plan the riots
The court said that police officers Sanjeev Bhatt, RB Sreekumar, Haren Pandya sensationalized the matter for personal interests, made false allegations. It was alleged on their behalf that senior officials, along with the then Chief Minister Modi, conspired for riots in the meeting. Claimed on his behalf that he was present in this meeting, but the reality is that he was not present in that meeting. Their claim was found to be false in the investigation of the SIT.
The closure report was filed by the SIT in February 2012.
The closure report was filed by the SIT in February 2012 following the order of the Supreme Court in 2011. The SIT said that there was no prosecutable evidence against Narendra Modi and 63 others. The magistrate dismissed Zakia Jafri’s petition against the clean chit of the SIT. Zakia Jafri’s petition filed against it was dismissed by the Gujarat High Court in October 2017. After this, Zakia challenged the High Court J order in the Supreme Court.
BJP accuses Congress
On this decision, Ravi Shankar Prasad held a press conference and said that the SIT investigated the matter and gave a clean chit. He said that all this investigation happened only during the UPA government. He accused the Congress that they conspired to defame Modi ji, due to which Modi’s visa was stopped. He said that this serious matter was seen through a political lens.
