Hearing In SC On Zakia Jafri’s Petition Deferred For Two Weeks

Hearing in SC on Zakia Jafri’s petition deferred for two weeks: Gulbarg Society Massacre.

SC on Tuesday adjourned the hearing for two weeks on the petition of Zakia Jafri, wife of former MP Ahsan Jafri, against the SIT giving a clean chit to the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 Gujarat riots case.

A two-member bench headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar said that the case would be listed after two weeks as the petitioner has issued a letter seeking adjournment in the case.

On March 16, the apex court had fixed the matter for hearing on Tuesday, April 13, and said that it would no longer consider any further request for adjournment.

The bench held a hearing in April on the request of senior advocate Kapil Sibal appearing on behalf of the petitioner last month as many lawyers were busy in the Maratha reservation case.

A five-judge constitution bench was hearing the Maratha reservation then. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Gujarat government, then opposed the stay.

The apex court had set the date of April 14, 2020 for hearing in February last year, stating that the matter has been adjourned several times and would have to be heard on one or the other day.

Earlier, Jafri’s counsel told the apex court that notice needs to be issued in the petition as it pertains to a ‘big conspiracy’ from 27 February 2002 to May 2002.

It is noteworthy that Zakia’s husband MP Ehsan Jafri was killed in the violence in the Gulbarg Society of Ahmedabad on February 28, 2002. A total of 68 people died in this incident.

The violence erupted after arson in the S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express in Godhra. Riots erupted across the state after 59 people were killed in that incident.

The SIT filed a closure report on February 8, 2012, giving a clean chit to Modi (the current PM) and 63 others, including senior government officials.