A metropolitan court on Wednesday rejected a petition filed by riot victim Zakiya Jafri seeking copy of the Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) final report which has reportedly spiked the allegation that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi played a role in the 2002 post-Godhra riots.

Zakiya Jafri, who lost her husband, former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, when a rioting mob attacked Gulbarg Society in Ahmedabad on February 28, filed another petition seeking permission to at least peruse the report, which was challenged by the SIT lawyer. The court posted the hearing on that application to February 29. Jafri, apart from being a complainant in the riots case, had petitioned the Supreme Court accusing Modi of being part of a larger conspiracy behind the Gujarat riots. Jafri had alleged that when the mob attacked, her husband made frantic calls to the police and even to the chief minister's office for help but in vain.

Zakiya’s co-petitioner social activist Teesta Setalvad also sought a copy of the SIT report.
The apex court directed the SIT to look into Zakiya’s complaint. The SIT recently submitted the final report to the metropolitan court, reportedly giving a clean chit to the chief minister. 

In a two-page order, Judge M S Bhatt said that since the SIT had sought a month’s time for submission of additional documents to the court, it was not in a position to consider the petition. The order also stated that only the final report had been submitted and hence, the court could not be directed to hand over the copies. The court directed the SIT to submit the additional documents to the court by March 15.

The SIT on Monday sought time from the court to submit the additional documents. The court also rejected the pleas of social activists Teesta Setalvad and Mukul Sinha for a copy of the report. The court said that they were not the complainants. Sinha, also a lawyer, said, “The petitioners will move  higher court to be allowed access to the report immediately.”