Godhra report

Source:telegraphindia.com

The special investigation team probing the Gujarat riot cases has submitted its report, almost a year after it was set up by the Supreme Court.

The report of the team, which is headed by former CBI director R.K. Raghavan and comprises four other current and former IPS officers, was handed in today to a bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat, P. Sathasivam and Aftab Alam.

Ten cases, including the Godhra fire in 2002 and the riots that followed, have been investigated. The report was submitted in sealed covers.

A copy of the main report will be given to the Gujarat government and senior advocate Harish Salve, assisting the court as amicus curiae.

The judges, however, said another part of the report, which is confidential, would not be given to any party involved.

The bench asked the Gujarat government and Salve to file their suggestions and views on the report within four weeks and posted the matter for further hearing on April 13.

The team, set up on March 26 last year, also included former Uttar Pradesh police chief C.D. Satpathy, and Gujarat IPS officers Geeta Johri, Shivanand Jha and Ashish Bhatia.

The team has recorded the statements of P.C. Pandey, who was Ahmedabad police commissioner during the riots, and Maya Kodnani, minister of state for higher education in the Gujarat government. Kodnani’s statement was recorded in connection with the riots in Ahmedabad’s Naroda Patia.