The Supreme Court has reserved its decision on Zakia Jafri and Teesta Setalvad's petition for new investigations into the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat in 2002, based on their allegations of a larger conspiracy involving politicians and police.
The matter was heard today by a bench consisting of Justices A.M. Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheswari, and C.T. Ravikumar. Advocate Kapil Sibal, who represents Jafri, told the court that they have not argued about any alleged involvement of the former Chief Minister and are proceeding with the case. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who represented the Gujarat government, contended that those responsible for the 2002 riots had not gone unpunished because trials had taken place and, depending on the merits of the cases, the accused had been either convicted or acquitted.
Mehta stated that the petitioners alleged in their argument that the state government did not take any action in the aftermath of the Godhra train burning incident and the resulting riots in Gujarat. He relied on the Report of the State-appointed Commission of Enquiry into the 2002 riots.
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who represented the SIT, contended that there is no larger conspiracy behind the Gujarat riots and that there is no need to keep this pot boiling. In 2002, the S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express was burned at Godhra, killing 59 people and sparking riots in Gujarat. Former MP Ehsan Jafri was among the 68 people killed in the violence a day after the Godhra incident.
On February 8, 2012, the SIT filed a closure report exonerating Narendra Modi, the then-chief minister of Gujarat, and 63 others, including senior government officials, during the Gujarat riots. The wife of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, Zakia Jafri, has challenged the SIT's clean chit to 64 people, including Narendra Modi.