SC rejects plea questioning clean chit to Modi in ’02 riots

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea questioning the clean chit given to Narendra Modi by the Special Investigation Team in its probe in connection with 2002 Gujarat riots.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to entertain a plea for reconstituting the Special Investigating Team after an existing team gave a clean chit to BJP star Narendra Modi for alleged deliberate inaction at the time of the Gulbarg Society carnage on February 28, 2002, during Gujarat riots.

The apex court bench of Justice HL Dattu and Justice SA Bobde, declining the plea by advocate Fatima A, observed that reconstituting the SIT over this issue was not good.

Fatima, who appeared in person, took the court through her pleading and sought reconstitution of the SIT having three retired judges on it. Justice Dattu asked her three retired judges of which court — high court or supreme court.

As Fatima said three retired judges of the supreme court, Justice Dattu said, “We don’t have” and the court declined the plea.

However, the court allowed the advocate to withdraw her plea and dismissed it as withdrawn.

In the Gulbarg Society carnage, 37 people, including former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, were killed.

The rampaging mob targeted members of a particular community in the Ahmedabad neighbourhood which was set on fire February 28, 2002.

The petition was filed by Zakia Jafri, widow of Congress parliamentarian Ehsan Jafri who was killed in the attack.