SC to hear plea against Modi's clean chit by SIT in Gujarat riots '02

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court to hear Zakia Jafri's, wife of Congress leader Ehsan Jafri, plea challenging clean chit to the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 post-Godhra riots in which her husband was killed.

The court on Tuesday deferred the hearing till October 26.

Justice A M Khanwilkar's bench, which extended the hearing at the request of senior counsel Kapil Sibal, who represents Jafri, made it clear that no further adjournments will be granted at her request. It also provided Jafri the ability to file a new compilation in the case.

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In 2018, Zakia filed a petition in the Supreme Court, contesting the Gujarat High Court's October 5, 2017 judgement dismissing her appeal against the Special Investigation Team's decision (SIT). On February 28, 2002, Ehsan Jafri was one of 68 persons slain at Gulberg Society, a day after the S-6 Coach of the Sabarmati Express was set ablaze at Godhra, killing 59 people and sparking rioting in Gujarat.

The SIT issued a closure report on February 8, 2012, clearing then-Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and 63 others, including senior government officials, of any wrongdoing, stating that there was "no prosecutable evidence" against them.

On Tuesday, Sibal stated that the situation had arisen unexpectedly, that there were around 23,000 pages of records, and that they would distribute a convenience compilation.

According to Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, the request for convenience compilation has been pending for the past year and a half.

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