Gujarat Riots- Zakia Jafri's Plea Against Clean Chit To Narendra Modi And State Functionaries- LIVE UPDATES
Supreme Court to continue hearing today the petition filed by Zakia Jafri challenging the SIT's clean chit to the then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi & other high functionaries in the #GujaratRiots of 2002.A Bench comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and CT Ravikumar, will take up the part-heard matter for further hearing.Solicitor General Tushar Mehta will continue his arguments...
Supreme Court to continue hearing today the petition filed by Zakia Jafri challenging the SIT's clean chit to the then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi & other high functionaries in the #GujaratRiots of 2002.
A Bench comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and CT Ravikumar, will take up the part-heard matter for further hearing.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta will continue his arguments on behalf of the State of Gujarat today.
On the last occasion, highlighting the relevant portions from the Trial Court and High Court judgments to demonstrate the elaborate consideration of the allegations by the courts below, Mr. Rohatgi concluded his arguments on behalf of SIT.
Referring to the periodic tables in the case of Meghaninagar filed in Supreme Court, relied upon by Mr. Rohatgi to show that the witnesses came to the Investigating Officers with prepared statements, SG Tushar Mehta submitted that some of the witnesses stated that they were tutored and prepared by Teesta Setalvad. Considering that the conduct of the Petitioner is crucial in a Special Leave Petition filed under Article 136 of the Constitution, Mr. Mehta wanted the Court to look into the motivation for filing it. Mr. Mehta also took the Court through the allegations and findings on the issues of discrepancies in the accounts; funds of the Trusts being utilised for private purposes; accounts not audited for a long time.
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Sibal: My submission is that, your lordship should rise to the occasion to see to it that, this does not happen again.
Bench (on a lighter vein): At the moment we will rise for the day.
Sibal: To meet tomorrow.
Bench: Yes.
Bench: Is Haresh Bhatt a part of your complaint ?
Sibal: No. He is not.
Sibal: pg. 438, statement by Haresh.'I have a gun factory...made bombs there'. Why was he not arrested and investigated after arrest.
Sibal: We cannot just wish it away and argue that the pot keeps boiling.
Bench: Gathering is different from riots, isn’t it?
Sibal: Now Haresh Bhatt, pg 381 it starts. Kindly come to 401. "Sirf talwar ayi thi”, they [Bhatt] said they made rocket launchers. pg. 416 [inter alia, refers to gathering]
Sibal: I have limited myself to undisputed documentary evidence. The SC order, as I understand is that all these statements are 161 statements, this cannot be used in trials.
Sibal: The closure report only deals with a statement in electronic media of the then CM, which I did not get into.
Sibal: Then Milords, pg. 303. This is transcript of Dilip Trivedi, the famous PP. He is coordinating with defence counsel. Now he is not prosecuted in any case, yet these are offences. This is the nature of evidence available with the Mag.
Sibal: I am not here to seek conviction. I am here to tell you that first of all the SIT should have taken them into custody, investigated, filed chargesheet.
Bench: We will ask you only and then put it to the other side.
Sibal: Our instruction is that there is no trial, no prosecution on this material.