Tanvir Jafri, son of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, on Friday said he was disappointed by the Supreme Court's verdict dismissing a petition challenging the clean chit given by the SIT to then chief minister Narendra Modi and others in 2002 post-Godhra riots cases.
Ehsan Jafri was killed during the riots. Zakia Jafri, his wife, had filed the petition challenging the Special Investigation Team's report giving a clean chit to Modi and 63 others. "I am disappointed with the court verdict. Since I am out of the country, I will give a detailed statement after studying the judgement," Tanvir Jafri told PTI. As per his lawyer, he was in Mecca for Haj pilgrimage, while Zakia lives in the United States with her daughter.
Senior Congress leader from Gujarat Arjun Modhwadia said there was no option other than to accept the Supreme Court's verdict. "Many people were burnt alive during the riots. One of them was our party's former MP Ehsan Jafri. His wife Zakia was fighting the case even at the age of 85 because she was hoping to get justice. Now, there is no other option for us than to accept the Supreme Court verdict," said Modhwadia, former state Congress chief.
"The judgement in the Zakia Jafri case was delivered today and it was over in precisely two minutes. The SIT report of February 8, 2012, has been fully accepted by the SC. The protest petition dated April 15, 2013, has been completely rejected. There was no infraction of rule of law, said the Supreme Court, and accordingly the appeal has been dismissed," said activist Teesta Setalvad in her reaction.
Setalvad had supported Zakia Jafri throughout her legal battle.
Ehsan Jafri was among 68 persons killed at Gulberg Society in Ahmedabad on February 28, 2002. A day earlier, 59 people including karsevaks had been killed when a coach of the Sabarmati Express was set on fire at Godhra. The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed Zakia Jafri's plea alleging a larger conspiracy behind the riots.
Bringing the curtains down on the bid to reopen the probe, a bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar said the material collected during the investigation does not give rise to strong or grave suspicion regarding hatching of larger criminal conspiracy at the highest level for causing mass violence against Muslims.
