Ahmedabad, 1 February, 2012

The Gujarat High Court today rejected a petition seeking a direction to the Nanavati Commission to call Chief Minister Narendra Modi for questioning in connection with the 2002 post-Godhra riots. The court held that it was the discretion of the commission whether to summon a person or not.

A division bench of Justice Akil Kureshi and Justice Sonia Gokani had last week reserved its order on a petition by the NGO Jan Sangharsh Manch (JSM) representing some of the riot victims in the Nanavati Commission. The NGO is now likely to appeal in the Supreme Court.

The petitioner had approached the High Court after the Commission of Justice G T Nanavati and Justice Akshay Mehta, probing the 2002 riot cases, had rejected JSM’s plea to summon Mr Modi for cross-examination. NGO operator advocate, Mukul Sinha, had submitted in the court that Mr Modi should be summoned by the Commission as the role of the Chief Minister falls within the ambit of the probe panel’s inquiry.

The Supreme Court appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) had questioned Mr Modi over the riots for over 10 hours in 2010.

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