‘No larger conspiracy behind Gujarat riots’: SC rejects Zakia Jafri plea against clean chit to Modi

[tempus123]

In the meeting, I read in some source that many claimed to have forgotten about some crucial details when questioned (it was done years later on). The link must be here somewhere. if not, I read it.

1. Why didn't Sanjeev Bhatt work on his conscience earlier ?
2. Did Modi trust him to discuss these "directives" in front of him and his move backfired when Bhatt took the brave path ?

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

I am also talking about the analogy in the same manner in terms of chances of being "caught". The analogy doesn't hold true. It's not possible to not be caught (morally/politically) in riots, but its much easier to not be caught during corruption.

Yes the Congress high command was totally caught in the 1984 riots.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Its complex. When you are in the act, you will be likely caught.

When you communicate thorugh layers and layers of people, you will be ACCUSED but getting caught is not that easy to due lack of nailing evidence.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Its complex. When you are in the act, you will be likely caught.

When you communicate thorugh layers and layers of people, you will be ACCUSED but getting caught is not that easy to due lack of nailing evidence.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

del

 

[tempus123]

In the meeting, I read in some source that many claimed to have forgotten about some crucial details when questioned (it was done years later on). The link must be here somewhere. if not, I read it.

1. Why didn't Sanjeev Bhatt work on his conscience earlier ?
2. Did Modi trust him to discuss these "directives" in front of him and his move backfired when Bhatt took the brave path ?

 

[tempus123]

In the meeting, I read in some source that many claimed to have forgotten about some crucial details when questioned (it was done years later on). The link must be here somewhere. if not, I read it.

1. Why didn't Sanjeev Bhatt work on his conscience earlier ?
2. Did Modi trust him to discuss these "directives" in front of him and his move backfired when Bhatt took the brave path ?

 

[tempus123]

Yes the Congress high command was totally caught in the 1984 riots.

Good point.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

1. Why didn't Sanjeev Bhatt work on his conscience earlier ?
2. Did Modi trust him to discuss these "directives" in front of him and his move backfired when Bhatt took the brave path ?

I have zero knowledge about that. I am merely stating what SIT report's take on Sanjeev Bhatt is (which I read in some blogpost from a guy who had gone thorugh the full SIT report).

It is for this reason I never used Sanjeev Bhatt's argument in my main post. In fact, I specifically mentioned this in the main post:

My Comments: Yes, I agree there have been claims of dodgy issues with some police officers’ word (like Sanjeev Bhatt). Deeper analysis will reveal what’s what. But on comprehensive look at every single aspect in this rebelling police officers saga (and cross checking it) its very clear what happened.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

So the only way modi could have possibly got nailed is if someone has a recording of what transpired at his house on the 27th of feb.
I'm sure there is no recording of that.

No that's not the only way.

It could be the one of the main ways.

A lot of evidences can be used to strengthen a case but there should be an unrefutable main evidence that points in one direction with others reinforcing it.

The unrefutable main evidence linking to Modi directly is not to be found.

Plus as of now, I don't think the SIT report ruling is final. It must be tested in a court of law.

Just like Mudgal report. A report does not declare anything. Further court proceedings must be happen.

That's what I am hearing. Dunno what's the situation now with Modi being the PM.

Maybe someone who knows law can clear that up.

 

[battler]

I have heard that the nanavati commission has been utterly compromised.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

I have heard that the nanavati commission has been utterly compromised.

Yep. Not just compromised.

Not even completed. Started in 2002.

21 extensions till date. To be submitted on June this year I guess.

A report about a topic taking 12+ years.

 

[Laparwah]

You mean any BJP spokesperson said that "all muslims are terrorists" and that too on national TV ? I am sure you agree you need to at least name the person who said it before we accept your point.

It's impossible to remember names of people seen on TV from days back. What I can tell you that it was on NDTV, afterwards the man was strongly condemned by various organisations who reminded him of the many insurgencies in India that are unrelated to Muslim people.

 

[tempus123]

It's impossible to remember names of people seen on TV from days back. What I can tell you that it was on NDTV, afterwards the man was strongly condemned by various organisations who reminded him of the many insurgencies in India that are unrelated to Muslim people.

Was he a BJP spokesperson ?

 

[Laparwah]

Was he a BJP spokesperson ?

Yeah, I think so.

 

[tempus123]

Yeah, I think so.

I doubt a BJP spokesperson will say anything drastic like "All muslims are terrorists". It may be most likely an enthusiastic BJP supporter.

I don't find any such public comment by the office holder of any political party. It would have created an embarrassing situation for BJP if it's spokesperson said so. When you have BJP distancing itself from much milder comments like "Modi haters should go to Pakistan" it is very unlikely that BJP may have allowed it's spokesperson to comment like that.

Again, if you can provide through search any authentic video or source, it would be better (not that I doubt your integrity, but may be it's better if we talk on authentic information)

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

‘No larger conspiracy behind Gujarat riots’: SC rejects Zakia Jafri plea against clean chit to Modi

Top court says, "(Charge) of larger criminal conspiracy at highest level stands collapsed like a house of cards"

Agreeing with the findings of the Special Investigation Team appointed by it that there was no “larger conspiracy” behind the 2002 Gujarat riots, the Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the appeal filed by Zakia Jafri challenging the SIT’s clean chit to Narendra Modi, who was then the state’s chief minister, and others in cases related to the riots.

A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and C T Ravikumar said “the SIT has not found any conspiracy, linking separate and disparate acts of arson and looting or outrageous claims made in sting operations or individual utterances/ publications of purported hate speech, to any singular larger conspiracy or planned event”.

The bench ruled: “The materials gathered during the investigation in no way link any ‘meeting of the minds’ in any of the nine cases investigated by the SIT or for that matter, other incidents alleged in the complaint or the protest petition. The riots across the state had taken place spontaneously, immediately after the Godhra train carnage.”

It said that “no material was discovered pointing towards any meeting of minds/ conspiracy in the higher echelons of the administration or (that) the political establishment conspired with other persons to cause such riots or (it) turned a Nelson’s eye when the riots had triggered and continued”.

The court also said the SIT probe has “fully exposed” the “falsity of claims” made by “disgruntled officials” of Gujarat “to create sensation by making revelations which were false” and said that “all those involved in such abuse of process, need to be in the dock”.

In its ruling, the apex court said that “no fault can be found with the approach of the SIT in submitting the final report…which is backed by firm logic, expositing analytical mind and dealing with all aspects objectively for discarding the allegations regarding larger criminal conspiracy (at the highest level) for causing and precipitating mass violence across the state against the minority community during the relevant period”.

The SIT, it said, “has gone by the logic of falsity of the information or material and including the same remaining uncorroborated”.

“In that, the materials collected during the investigation do not give rise to strong or grave suspicion regarding hatching of larger criminal conspiracy at the highest level for causing mass violence across the state against the minority community and more so, indicating involvement of the named offenders and their meeting of minds at some level in that regard,” it said.

The bench ruled that “question of further investigation would have arisen only on the availability of new material/ information in connection with the allegation of larger conspiracy at the highest level, which is not forthcoming in this case”.

The court praised the SIT for doing its work “with sincerity, objectivity and dispassionately” and conveyed strong displeasure at Jafri’s arguments which, it said, “was bordering on undermining the integrity and sincerity of the members of the SIT” and “questioning the wisdom of this court”.

The court also pointed to a “coalesced effort of the disgruntled officials of the state of Gujarat along with others… to create sensation by making revelations which were false to their own knowledge. The falsity of their claims had been fully exposed by the SIT after a thorough investigation”.

It noted that “intriguingly, the present proceedings have been pursued for the last 16 years…to keep the pot boiling, obviously, for ulterior design…all those involved in such abuse of process, need to be in the dock and proceeded with in accordance with law”.

The bench said the “allegations regarding larger conspiracy at the highest level…is founded on the alleged utterances made by the then Chief Minister in an official meeting (on February 27, 2002 in Gandhinagar) while addressing the DGP, the then Chief Secretary and other senior officials of the state to allow to vent to the Hindu anger on the minority in the wake of Godhra incident”.

In her plea, the petitioner had relied on the statements of police officers Sanjiv Bhatt, who claimed to have attended the meeting, and R B Sreekumar, and former Minister Haren Pandya, but the SIT concluded “that the claim of concerned persons is false and figment of imagination”, the court said.

“The SIT after thorough investigation has recorded its opinion that neither Mr Sanjiv Bhatt nor Mr Haren Pandya was present in the stated meeting. Similarly, even Mr R B Sreekumar had no personal knowledge as he did not attend the said meeting. Besides, Mr R B Sreekumar was a disgruntled officer,” said the top court.

The apex court said that “we find force in the argument of the respondent-state that the testimony of Mr Sanjiv Bhatt, Mr Haren Pandya and also of Mr R B Sreekumar was only to sensationalise and politicize the matters in issue, although, replete with falsehood”.

It said: “On such false claim, the structure of larger criminal conspiracy at the highest level has been erected. The same stands collapsed like a house of cards, (in the) aftermath (of the) thorough investigation by the SIT.”

On charges of inaction by the state, the court pointed out that the SIT had collected “materials indicative of the amount of hard work and planning of the concerned state functionaries in their attempt to control the spontaneous evolving situation of mass violence across the state”.

It said that the state acted “despite the handicap of administration including the inadequate state police force required to be replenished with central forces/ Army, which were called without loss of time and the repeated appeals made by the then Chief Minister publicly to maintain peace”.

The judgment said “to make out a case of larger criminal conspiracy, it is essential to establish a link indicative of meeting of minds of the concerned persons for commission of the crime(s), committed during the relevant period across the state including the heart-rending episode unfolded at Godhra on 27.2.2002, in which large number of Kar-sevaks were burnt alive in train bogies”.

But, it said, “no such link is forthcoming, much less…unraveled and established in any of the nine cases”.

“Accepting the argument of the appellant would require us to question the wisdom of this Court and to hold that even the incident at Godhra unfolded on 27.2.2002 was also the outcome of alleged larger criminal conspiracy. Such a view would be preposterous,” said the bench.

The court said “there is no material forthcoming to indicate that there was failure on the part of intelligence to collect information and it was a deliberate act on the part of the state government authorities”.

Referring to the various steps taken by the administration, it said that “in light of such timely corrective measures…it would be beyond comprehension of any person of ordinary prudence to bear suspicion about the meeting of minds of named offenders and hatching of conspiracy by the State at the highest level, as alleged….”

The court also rejected contentions regarding the alleged communal mobilisation and stockpiling of weapons before the Godhra “carnage”, the post-mortem of bodies being conducted in the open in a railway yard and parading the bodies from Godhra to Ahmedabad as proof of larger conspiracy, terming them “pure conjectures and surmises” and “devoid of merits”.

https://indianexpress.com/article/i...zakia-jafri-plea-sit-clean-chit-modi-7987962/

 

[MenInG]

A court in Gujarat’s Panchmahal district acquitted all 26 accused of gang rape and the murder of over a dozen Muslims in separate incidents in Kalol during the 2002 Gujarat riots for want of evidence in the 20-year-old case, Indian media reported on Sunday.

The court of additional sessions judge of Halol in Panchmahal district, Leelabhai Chudasama, heard the case on Friday.

It was reported that of the total 39 accused, 23 had died while the case was pending and the trial against them was abated.

The prosecution had provided the court with 190 witnesses and 334 documentaries as evidence in support of its argument. However, the court said there were contradictions in the witnesses' accounts.

According to reports, an FIR was registered against the accused at Kalol Police Station on March 2, 2002, a day after a mob went on a rampage in the communal riots that broke out in Gujarat on March 1, 2002.

Read Modi 'directly responsible for 2002 Gujarat massacre of Muslims, says BBC

The FIR had been registered after the mob of 2,000 people clashed with sharp weapons and inflammable objects in the Kalol district of Gandhinagar. They had damaged shops and set them on fire.

During the violence, a man who had been injured in police firing and was being rushed to the hospital was burnt alive. The mob had attacked and killed another man coming out of a mosque and burnt his body inside the holy building.

In another incident, 38 people fleeing Delol village and traveling to Kalol were attacked and 11 of them were burnt alive. According to the FIR, a woman was gang raped when she and others were trying to escape.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief minister of the western state of Gujarat when it was gripped by riots that left more than 1,000 people dead — most of them Muslims.

Express Tribune

 

[Colorblind Genius]

Top court says, "(Charge) of larger criminal conspiracy at highest level stands collapsed like a house of cards"

Agreeing with the findings of the Special Investigation Team appointed by it that there was no “larger conspiracy” behind the 2002 Gujarat riots, the Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the appeal filed by Zakia Jafri challenging the SIT’s clean chit to Narendra Modi, who was then the state’s chief minister, and others in cases related to the riots.

A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and C T Ravikumar said “the SIT has not found any conspiracy, linking separate and disparate acts of arson and looting or outrageous claims made in sting operations or individual utterances/ publications of purported hate speech, to any singular larger conspiracy or planned event”.

The bench ruled: “The materials gathered during the investigation in no way link any ‘meeting of the minds’ in any of the nine cases investigated by the SIT or for that matter, other incidents alleged in the complaint or the protest petition. The riots across the state had taken place spontaneously, immediately after the Godhra train carnage.”

It said that “no material was discovered pointing towards any meeting of minds/ conspiracy in the higher echelons of the administration or (that) the political establishment conspired with other persons to cause such riots or (it) turned a Nelson’s eye when the riots had triggered and continued”.

The court also said the SIT probe has “fully exposed” the “falsity of claims” made by “disgruntled officials” of Gujarat “to create sensation by making revelations which were false” and said that “all those involved in such abuse of process, need to be in the dock”.

In its ruling, the apex court said that “no fault can be found with the approach of the SIT in submitting the final report…which is backed by firm logic, expositing analytical mind and dealing with all aspects objectively for discarding the allegations regarding larger criminal conspiracy (at the highest level) for causing and precipitating mass violence across the state against the minority community during the relevant period”.

The SIT, it said, “has gone by the logic of falsity of the information or material and including the same remaining uncorroborated”.

“In that, the materials collected during the investigation do not give rise to strong or grave suspicion regarding hatching of larger criminal conspiracy at the highest level for causing mass violence across the state against the minority community and more so, indicating involvement of the named offenders and their meeting of minds at some level in that regard,” it said.

The bench ruled that “question of further investigation would have arisen only on the availability of new material/ information in connection with the allegation of larger conspiracy at the highest level, which is not forthcoming in this case”.

The court praised the SIT for doing its work “with sincerity, objectivity and dispassionately” and conveyed strong displeasure at Jafri’s arguments which, it said, “was bordering on undermining the integrity and sincerity of the members of the SIT” and “questioning the wisdom of this court”.

The court also pointed to a “coalesced effort of the disgruntled officials of the state of Gujarat along with others… to create sensation by making revelations which were false to their own knowledge. The falsity of their claims had been fully exposed by the SIT after a thorough investigation”.

It noted that “intriguingly, the present proceedings have been pursued for the last 16 years…to keep the pot boiling, obviously, for ulterior design…all those involved in such abuse of process, need to be in the dock and proceeded with in accordance with law”.

The bench said the “allegations regarding larger conspiracy at the highest level…is founded on the alleged utterances made by the then Chief Minister in an official meeting (on February 27, 2002 in Gandhinagar) while addressing the DGP, the then Chief Secretary and other senior officials of the state to allow to vent to the Hindu anger on the minority in the wake of Godhra incident”.

In her plea, the petitioner had relied on the statements of police officers Sanjiv Bhatt, who claimed to have attended the meeting, and R B Sreekumar, and former Minister Haren Pandya, but the SIT concluded “that the claim of concerned persons is false and figment of imagination”, the court said.

“The SIT after thorough investigation has recorded its opinion that neither Mr Sanjiv Bhatt nor Mr Haren Pandya was present in the stated meeting. Similarly, even Mr R B Sreekumar had no personal knowledge as he did not attend the said meeting. Besides, Mr R B Sreekumar was a disgruntled officer,” said the top court.

The apex court said that “we find force in the argument of the respondent-state that the testimony of Mr Sanjiv Bhatt, Mr Haren Pandya and also of Mr R B Sreekumar was only to sensationalise and politicize the matters in issue, although, replete with falsehood”.

It said: “On such false claim, the structure of larger criminal conspiracy at the highest level has been erected. The same stands collapsed like a house of cards, (in the) aftermath (of the) thorough investigation by the SIT.”

On charges of inaction by the state, the court pointed out that the SIT had collected “materials indicative of the amount of hard work and planning of the concerned state functionaries in their attempt to control the spontaneous evolving situation of mass violence across the state”.

It said that the state acted “despite the handicap of administration including the inadequate state police force required to be replenished with central forces/ Army, which were called without loss of time and the repeated appeals made by the then Chief Minister publicly to maintain peace”.

The judgment said “to make out a case of larger criminal conspiracy, it is essential to establish a link indicative of meeting of minds of the concerned persons for commission of the crime(s), committed during the relevant period across the state including the heart-rending episode unfolded at Godhra on 27.2.2002, in which large number of Kar-sevaks were burnt alive in train bogies”.

But, it said, “no such link is forthcoming, much less…unraveled and established in any of the nine cases”.

“Accepting the argument of the appellant would require us to question the wisdom of this Court and to hold that even the incident at Godhra unfolded on 27.2.2002 was also the outcome of alleged larger criminal conspiracy. Such a view would be preposterous,” said the bench.

The court said “there is no material forthcoming to indicate that there was failure on the part of intelligence to collect information and it was a deliberate act on the part of the state government authorities”.

Referring to the various steps taken by the administration, it said that “in light of such timely corrective measures…it would be beyond comprehension of any person of ordinary prudence to bear suspicion about the meeting of minds of named offenders and hatching of conspiracy by the State at the highest level, as alleged….”

The court also rejected contentions regarding the alleged communal mobilisation and stockpiling of weapons before the Godhra “carnage”, the post-mortem of bodies being conducted in the open in a railway yard and parading the bodies from Godhra to Ahmedabad as proof of larger conspiracy, terming them “pure conjectures and surmises” and “devoid of merits”.

https://indianexpress.com/article/i...zakia-jafri-plea-sit-clean-chit-modi-7987962/

A court in Gujarat’s Panchmahal district acquitted all 26 accused of gang rape and the murder of over a dozen Muslims in separate incidents in Kalol during the 2002 Gujarat riots for want of evidence in the 20-year-old case, Indian media reported on Sunday.

The court of additional sessions judge of Halol in Panchmahal district, Leelabhai Chudasama, heard the case on Friday.

It was reported that of the total 39 accused, 23 had died while the case was pending and the trial against them was abated.

The prosecution had provided the court with 190 witnesses and 334 documentaries as evidence in support of its argument. However, the court said there were contradictions in the witnesses' accounts.

According to reports, an FIR was registered against the accused at Kalol Police Station on March 2, 2002, a day after a mob went on a rampage in the communal riots that broke out in Gujarat on March 1, 2002.

Read Modi 'directly responsible for 2002 Gujarat massacre of Muslims, says BBC

The FIR had been registered after the mob of 2,000 people clashed with sharp weapons and inflammable objects in the Kalol district of Gandhinagar. They had damaged shops and set them on fire.

During the violence, a man who had been injured in police firing and was being rushed to the hospital was burnt alive. The mob had attacked and killed another man coming out of a mosque and burnt his body inside the holy building.

In another incident, 38 people fleeing Delol village and traveling to Kalol were attacked and 11 of them were burnt alive. According to the FIR, a woman was gang raped when she and others were trying to escape.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief minister of the western state of Gujarat when it was gripped by riots that left more than 1,000 people dead — most of them Muslims.

Express Tribune

There will be another court held.
And in that court, you won’t be able to influence the judge or hire top attorneys.
An absolute justice will be served.
There will be no place to hide, and nowhere to run.

We shall wait and we shall see.