SC to hear plea agnst clean chit to Modi after 4 weeks

The Supreme Court on Tuesday deferred once again a plea made by Zakia Jafri, widow of Congress M P Ehsan Jafri, against the clean chit given to Narendra Modi and others in 2002 Gujarat riots.

A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and M R Shah allowed a plea for adjournment made by advocate Aparna Bhat, on behalf of Zakia, for four weeks.

She had circulated a letter seeking adjournment in the matter. The court had earlier thrice adjourned the matter on request from the parties.

80-year-old Zakia filed the petition against the Gujarat High Court's order of October 2017, that upheld the clean chit given to Modi and others by the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team.

The petitioner, whose husband Congress MP Ehsan Jafri was burnt to death in their house at Gulberg society, contended that Modi, and 59 others, including bureaucrats and police officers, should be made accused for being a part of criminal conspiracy for the 2002 riots.

Senior advocate Chander Uday Singh, appearing for the petitioner, had earlier contended that the high court by its order dismissed her petition against the clean chit but allowed her to approach either the apex court or the trial court for a re-investigation.

She had approached the high court in 2014 after the trial court rejected the objection application by her against the clean chit given by the SIT headed by former CBI director R K Raghavan.

The court had earlier said it would consider a plea by activist Teesta Setalvad for becoming a co-petitioner.