SC reserves order on transfer of cases on Gujarat riots

The Supreme Court today reserved its judgment on the petitions seeking transfer of cases related to the 2002 Gujarat communal violence outside the state of Gujarat to ensure free and fair trial. A bench headed by Mr Justice Arijit Pasayat reserved the verdict after hearing the parties and directed them to file their suggestions on the issue of protection of witnesses and other issues raised by them. The petitioners including NHRC have sought the transfer of Gujarat riot cases outside Gujarat on the ground that no witness can dare to depose against the accused, most of whom belong to the ruling party or Sangh parivar. The state of Gujarat has, however, denied the allegations of witness being intimidated by the accused persons, most of whom allegedly belong to the ruling party in the state. In another related development, a bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Mr Justice P Sathasivam today issued notices to the union government seeking its response to a petition seeking direction is to the state government not to make public the interim report of the Nanavati commission of inquiry which had given a clean chit the Narendra Modi government. Counsel for Gujarat government, However, contended before the court that the report has already been tabled in the state assembly and has already being made public and therefore the petitions have become infructuous. The petitioner, however, denied the claim of the state government and contended that the interim report cannot be made public and the commission of inquiry can only submit a final report. The Justice Nanavati commission was appointed by the Gujarat government to look into the Godhra train burning incident in which 59 kar sevak were charred to death in February 2002.

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