The Supreme Court on Thursday rebuked an NGO run by social activist Teesta Setalvad for raking up the issue of Gujarat’s Godhra riot case with an international body saying “it is a reflection on us”.

The court was anguished that the NGO, Centre for Justice and Peace (CJP), forwarded its letter written to the Special Investigating Team (SIT) concerning the protection of witnesses also to the Geneva-based Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights which is associated with United Nations.

“It is our matter. What you have to do with the international body? Are you justifying that? Then we have to consider it in a different perspective,” a special bench headed by Justice D K Jain said.

The issue was brought to the Bench by senior advocate Harish Salve who is assisting the court as an amicus curiae in the Gujarat riot cases of 2002.

He said sending a copy of the letter to an international body was “uncalled for” and “is worrying and disturbing”.

The Bench was anguished with the answer of NGO’s counsel Kamini Jaiswal that the copy of the October 7, 2010, letter addressed to SIT Chairman R K Raghavan, former CBI Director, was only sent to the international body with which NHRC is also associated.

“You may have association with hundred’s of bodies around the globe but why this letter is sent to the international body”? it told the advocate and went on to say that if it is the ground that the rights body here was associated with the international body then it is a different issue.

“What is the business of the international body?” the Bench, also comprising Justices P Sathasivam and Aftab Alam, said and stressed that if that was the stand of the CJP, it will hear the issue and pass the order.

“Why the copy was sent to the international body?” the Bench told CJP’s counsel who said it was only for the witness protection.

This reply from the counsel made the Bench more furious which snapped “from Switzerland they will provide protection to witnesses?”

“Don’t we have the capability to provide protection to witnesses? We can’t allow an international body to interfere with what is happening in our courts. This cannot be allowed,” the Bench said.

“We cannot permit outside agency,” the Bench said adding “it is a reflection on us”.

When Jaiswal said the issue of raising witness protection may sound funny to many, the Bench shot back “it is a serious issue”.

The Bench concluded the hearing by asking Jaiswal to seek instruction from CJP so that it could hear the matter.