Complete Gujarat Riot Trial within Three Months ; Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of India granted an extension of another three months to the trial court to wind up the proceedings in 2002 Gulberg Society massacre in which former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri and 67 others were killed.District Judge P B Desai had requested the Apex court to grant three more months to complete the trial in the case.

Meanwhile the accused in the riot cases had prayed for relief on the ground that since trial of the case has been dragging, they are entitled to be released from jail. They had written to the Apex court that due to delay in completing the proceedings they should be granted bail as they have been in jail for 10 years. But, the Apex court refused to give bail.The bench headed by Chief Justice and also comprisingof Justices M B Lokur and M Y Eqbal, alsorefused to interfere with the Gujarat High Court order of December 23, 2013 granting conditional bail to all 21 people who were convicted and sent to life term in a case relating to the 2002 DeepdaDarwaza riots in which 11 persons of a family were killed.

Relative of a riot victim had filed an appeal in the apex court sought earlier hearing of the matter for cancellation of bail was asked to approach the High Court.          The Bench declined to direct the High court to consider the matter on priority basis saying "it would not be proper" to pass such a direction.

Meanwhile, in Gujarat High Court, the lawyer of theSpecial Investigation Team (SIT) which probed the riot cases, defended the closure report on 2002 riots filed by them. The report had given clean chit to NarendraModi and several others. The magistrate had upheld the SIT report and the wife of the slain lawmaker had approached the High Court against the order of Magistrate. Senior advocate appearing for SIT, CS Vaidyanathan told the court that the petitioner has not provided any new material before the magistrate. He said, "The investigation was monitored by the Supreme Court. It also appointed amicus curiae to look into the reports (of SIT)... Amicus curiae suggested further investigation. SIT made further investigation and submitted its reports. The reports were again looked into by the amicus."Zakia Jafri had filed a complaint in the court alleging that PM Modi, the then Gujarat Chief Minister, and 58 others including ministers, police officials and BJP leaders were part of a wider conspiracy behind the riots.