JOIN USNew SIT gets old SIT’s clean chit report to probe Setalvad, Sreekumar
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), set up by the Gujarat government to investigate alleged faking of evidence in the 2002 post-Godhra riots, has procured the report document of the previous Supreme Court-appointed SIT that cleared of any wrongdoing the then chief minister Narendra Modi, and around 60 other state functionaries, in the communal riots.
The latest seven-member SIT is investigating activist Teesta Setalvad, former state Director General of Police R B Sreekumar and former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, for their testimonies that implied the state’s complacency in the riots. It will also investigate Sreekumar and Setalvad for their alleged roles in tutoring witnesses and fabricating evidence to seek conviction in riots-related cases.
The documents procured from a magisterial court from the report of the previous SIT are said to contain “material evidence” to the case against Setalvad and others. These documents include, among others, copies of affidavits filed by Sreekumar, Bhatt and former IPS officer Rahul Sharma and email exchanges.
The three former officers—who deposed before the Nanavati-Mehta Commission appointed to investigate the riots—had filed several affidavits which had put the then Narendra Modi-led government in the dock for its role in handling the riots.
A member of the new SIT told DH: “We have received the documents which are part of the report (closure report) and are material evidence to our case. We had officially filed an application based on which the court passed the order granting us the copies.”
The documents the SIT has procured from the court are said to be email exchanges between suspects and a few politicians asking for information to influence the judiciary and the media.
These details had been pointed out before the metropolitan court, where the closure report was challenged by Zakia Jafri in 2012-2013. In the court while defending its report, the SIT had said that it didn't believe the testimonies given by Sreekumar, Bhatt and Rahul Sharma. Jafri had produced affidavits of these three former officers as evidence to allege state's complacency in the riots.
A day after Supreme Court made scathing observations against Setalvad, Sreekumar and Bhatt, while dismissing the appeal filed by Zakia Jafri, wife of slain ex-Congress MP Ahsan Jafri, Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch, on June 25, registered an FIR against them.
The Supreme Court, while rejecting Jafri’s plea, upheld the clean chit given to Modi and the others by the SIT the apex court had constituted back in 2008.
Earlier, while seeking their custody, the police told the court: “The accused in this case, R B Sreekumar and Teesta Setalvad, were associated with several NGOs including CJP (Citizen for Justice and Peace). It is most important to find out from what people/groups the accused received funds from to conspire and create hurdles in the judicial process for such a long time.”
A day later, Sreekumar and Setalvad were arrested and are now in SIT custody. They will be produced before the court on July 2.