Zakia Jafri entitled to SIT report on 2002 Gulbarg riots, says Supreme Court

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that Zakia Jafri, wife of slain Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, was entitled to the entire Special Investigation Team (SIT) report barring comments of its chief into the Gulbarg Society riots case of 2002 post-Godhra violence.

The apex court set aside two orders of an Ahmedabad court denying the materials relating to the probe to Zakia Jafri.

The SIT had said that the 2002 case against Modi and 62 others should be closed. Zakia Jafri's husband, Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, was burnt to death in the riots of 2002. On April 27, 2009, the apex court had asked the SIT to look into the complaint of Zakia allegedly blaming 63 people, including the chief minister, for inaction.

The apex court set aside two orders of an Ahmedabad court denying the materials relating to the probe to Zakia Jafri.

In December 2012, a Supreme Court Bench had referred to a larger bench the plea of Jafri seeking documents on probe by the SIT. A two-judge bench of justices DK Jain and Madan B Lokur said it cannot go into the issue as SIT probe and related issues concerning the Godhra and other riot cases of 2002 in Gujarat was dealt by a three-member special bench which on September 12, 2011 had passed the order relating to supply of documents to Jafri's widow, Zakia Jafri.

"We are of the view that the said order was passed by another bench and so it would be appropriate that the matter be heard by the same bench. Let the matter be placed before that larger bench as expeditiously as possible," it had said. The bench had said it would not be proper for it to pass the order and propriety also demands that the matter be referred to the larger bench which had passed the order.

(With Additional Inputs from PTI)

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