The Supreme Court today rejected the petition filed by Zakia Jafri which challenged the clean chit given by the Gujarat High Court and Special Investigation Team (SIT) to the then Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi and 63 other people for their alleged role in the violence and larger conspiracy behind the 2002 Gujarat Riots.
A three judge bench which comprised of Justices AM Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and CT Ravikumar who had reserved judgment on Zakia Jafri’s petition seeking probe into larger conspiracy behind Gujarat riots on December 9, 2021 today dismissed her petition, Live Law reported.
The Supreme Court in its judgment said, “We don’t countenance the submission of the appellant (Zakia Jafri) regarding infraction of rule of law regarding investigation and the approach of the High Court in dealing with the final report”
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal had appeared for Zakia Jafri, leading arguments for several days challenging the Gujarat High Court’s judgment, while Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi defended the SIT probe and sought dismissal of Jafri’s petition. Opposing the plea, Solicitor General of India, Tushar Mehta appeared for the State of Gujarat, Live Law reported.
Zakia Jafri is the widow of former Gujarat MLA Ehsaan Jafri, who was allegedly burnt alive by a mob along with several others in the Gulberg Society in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The Special Investigation and the Gujarat High Court had given Modi a clean cheat earlier and petitions filed by Zakia Jafri and Teesta Seetalvad, challenging the same were earlier dismissed too.
