090519 SITTRANsfER CASEs.pdf - Citizens for Justice and Peace

May 19 2009
SIT MONITORS 10 TRIALS
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Listing of prosecutors begins
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD
THE Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Monday submitted a list of advocates to the
state government for appointment as public prosecutors (PPs) in nine riot cases of 2002.
Geetha Johri, convener of the Supreme Court-appointed SIT, confirmed this, but refused
to divulge the names of the PPs. According to sources, Naina Bhatt, who fought the Patan
PTC gangrape case, is among the nine.
Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Balwant Singh could not be contacted, but a senior
Home De partment official said the list would soon be forwarded to the Law Department
for approval and appointment.
The Gujarat High Court had on May 8 appointed nine special judges for as many fasttrack
courts, but there was delay in selection of the names of advocates as PPs by the SIT.
According to the SIT, the selection was delayed because the antecedents of the advocates
had to be probed before recommending their names.
Activist Teesta Setalvad of the Mumbai-based Citizens for Justice and Peace had
submitted in the Supreme Court that the PPs appointed by the state government in cases
pertaining to the riots were in collusion with the accused. She had appealed to the court
that advocates with clean background be appointed in consultation with the SIT. She had
also submitted a list of the advocates to be considered for their appointment as public
prosecutors. She even met SIT chief R K Raghavan recently in this connection.
The names suggested by Setalvad include Anoop Pandey (Mumbai), Yaqub Sheikh
(Ahmedabad), Virendra Parikh (Mumbai), Jayesh Yagnik (Mumbai), I M Munshi
(Ahmedabad), Afzalkhan Pathan (Ahmedabad) and R Z Sheikh (Ahmedabad).
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SIT suggests location for riot trials
VIKRAM RAUTELA
AHMEDABAD
SIT suggests location for riot trials Process underway for selecting premises for fasttrack
courts in Mehsana, Anand and Sabarkantha
THE Supreme Court-ap T pointed Special Investigation gesting locations for fast-track
courts for the trial of Godhra train carnage and other riot cases of 2002. This comes
within a fortnight after the Gujarat High Court designated nine judges for as many special
courts.
Four are to be set up in Ahmedabad, two each in Mehsana and Anand, and one in
Sabarkantha.
The SIT has already suggested to the HC the venues for four courts in Ahmedabad
district, but the process for setting up the other courts is being worked out.
HC Registrar General Pradeep Bhatt said: “The SIT has suggested the Sabarmati Central
Jail premises for the trial of the train carnage case.
For the Naroda Gam, Naroda Patiya and Gulberg Society cases, it has recommended the
Old High Court premises near Ashram Road.” He said the Old HC premises was
preferred over the city and the sessions court at Bhadra in the Walled City as the former
is less congested.
Rajkot Police Commissioner and SIT convener Geetha Johri said: “Our prime concern is
to provide protection to the witnesses and ensure that the required security is deployed
outside the courts where the trials will be conducted. In some cases, we may need courts
that have the facility of video conference.” She refused to comment on the likely lo cation
of special courts in Mehsana, Anand and Sabarkantha.
On May 8, the HC had issued an order designating nine judges for as many special
courts. This was done following the May 1 order of the Supreme Court.
The HC had designated district judge P R Patel for conducting trial in the Godhra train
carnage case. Additional sessions judges S H Vora and Jyotsna Yagnik were designated
for the Naroda Gam and Naroda Patiya cases, while additional sessions Judge B U Joshi
was designated for the trial of the Gulberg society case.
District Judge B N Kariya and additional Sessions Judge S C Srivastava were designated
for the Dipda Darwaja and Sardarpura cases in Mehsana. Principal District Judge S Y
Trivedi and Additional District Judge R M Sarine will conduct trials in two riot cases of

Khambodaj and Ode in Anand respectively while district Judge H P Patel has been
designated for the British national case of Prantij at Sabarkantha.
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Gulberg Society riot death toll now 69
EXPRESSNEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD
Of the total of 84 accused whose names cropped up during further investigations by
the SIT in the case, 70 have been arrested, eight have died and six are absconding
THE official death toll in the Gulberg Society massacre case of 2002 has risen to 69. In
an additional chargesheet filed before a metropolitan court on Saturday, the Supreme
Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) declared all the 30 people, who had
gone missing from the society on February 28, 2002, as dead.
J M Suthar, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) and the Investigation Officer in the
case, had filed the chargesheet in the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate G M Patel.
He said, “All the missing people have been declared dead under the provisions of the
Evidence Act.” The additional chargesheet has named eight people, including suspended
DySP K G Erda, as an accused. “BJP leaders Bipin Patel and Chunilal Prajapati are also
among the eight accused,” Suthar added.
Erda, the then inspector of the Meghaninagar police station, has been accused of
dereliction of duty and tampering with evidence.
The suspended policeman, who is at present out on bail, has also been charged with
murder and attempt to murder.
The SIT had arrested him from Valsad where he was posted as a DySP. Prior to his
arrest, he was interrogated by the SIT, along with some other police officers who were
posted in the riot-affected areas.
Of the total of 84 accused whose names cropped up during further investigations by the
SIT in the case, 70 have been arrested, eight have died and six are absconding.
Thirty-nine people, including former Congress MP Ehsan Jaffri, were killed in the
massacre.
The incident had occurred a day after the S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express was burnt,
killing 59 people.

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Chargesheet filed by SIT against DSP
Ahmedabad, May 18: A police officer of the rank of deputy superintendent of police (DySP) has been
chargesheeted by the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) in a post-Godhra riot
case, the first time an official of this rank has been booked.
The Special Investigation Team on Saturday filed additional chargesheet in the the
Gulberg Society case against Dy SP K.G. Erda and seven others, which include two local
BJP leaders, in metropolitan court here.
Erda, who has been accused of dereliction of duty and tampering with evidence, has also
been charged under IPC sections including 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), along
with seven other accused were arrested by the SIT since January.
Earlier this month, the SIT has filed additional chargesheet in the Naroda Gam case
against former minister in the Narendra Modi government Maya Kodnani.
The chargesheet also included name of a circle police inspector V.S. Gohil, who is
charged with dereliction of duty while he was posted at Naroda police station in 2002.
"In all, there are 84 accused in the case out of which 70 have been arrested, eight people
have died in last seven years and six are absconding," investigating office in the Gulberg
society case J.M. Suthar said. —PTI
The DNA
Ahmedabad: 19-05-09, Daily Eng. News.
“SIT files additional chargesheet against
DySP Erda”
DNA Correspondent.
The SIT on Saturday filed additional chargesheet in the Gulberg Society case against
DySP KG Erda and seven others, which include two local BJP leaders, in metropolitan

court here. Erda, who has been accused of dereliction of duty and tampering with
evidence, has also been charged under IPC sections including 302 (murder) and 307
(attempt to murder). He along with seven other accused was arrested by the SIT in
February.
Earlier this month, the SIT had filed additional chargesheet in the Naroda gam
case against Maya Kodnani, former minister in the Narendra Modi government. The
chargesheet also included name of a circle police inspector VS Gohil, who is also
charged with dereliction of duty while posted at Naroda police station in 2002.
“In all there are 84 accused in the case out of which 70 have been arrested, eight
people have died in past seven years and six are absconding,” investigating office in the
Gulberg Society case JM Suthar said.
Local BJP leaders Bipin Patel and Chunilal Parajapati are among the eight
accused against whom the chargesheet had been filed, Suthar said.
Erda was posted as police inspector at Meghaninagar police station during the
2002 post-Godhra riots when a mob had attacked Gulberg Society, and killed 38 people
including former Congress MP Ahesan Jafri. Gulberg Society comes under the
jurisdiction of Meghaninagar police station. He was arrested in February by the SIT from
Valsad where he was posted as a deputy superintendent of police.
Prior to his arrest, Erda was interrogated by the SIT, along with some other police
officials who were posted in riot affected areas. He is presently out on bail. Besides, Erda
and Gohil, SIT had also arrested a retired cop MK Patel on charges of dereliction of duty
in connection with the Dipda Darwaja riot case in Mehsana district.
Eleven people were burnt in a house in this riot case. Recently, the Supreme Court
had directed the SIT to probe within three months complaint that Gujarat CM Narendra
Modi, his cabinet colleagues, police officials and senior bureaucrats aided and abetted
post-Godhra riots. Based on the SIT report, the apex court had lifted the ban on the trials
on nine cases including the Godhra train carnage case and ordered setting up of fast track
courts to conduct trial on a day-to-day basis.