The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing 2002 Gujarat riot cases, not to associate two senior Indian Police Service officers --Geeta Johri and Shivanand Jha -- in the investigations till further orders.
This direction was given by a bench comprising Justices D K Jain, P Sathasivam and Aftab Alam while hearing an application moved by an NGO, Centre for Justice and Peace, making various allegations against SIT and its members and seeking stay of the trial in ten riots cases.
The court said it will hear on April 19 the question of passing interim direction for staying the trial in the ten cases. The apex court also fixed April 28 for considering whether there was a need to continue with the SIT headed by former Central Bureau of Investigation director R K Raghavan in the wake of allegations levelled against it and its members.
After the order was passed, Jha, who was present in the court, said the direction on he not being associated with the SIT probe was passed without hearing him as he and other members of the team were not represented before the court. The Gujarat government also contended that neither the state nor any other affected party, including the accused, were supplied any document and paper on the basis of which the court was proceeding.
The state government was supported by senior advocate Ram Jethmalani, who was appearing for one of the accused, and Harish Salve, who is assisting the court as an amicus curiae. They said that all the affected parties were supposed to be supplied with documents and papers which were likely to be used against them.The bench then asked Salve to supply the state government the copies of the comments received from the SIT and its officers on the petition filed by the NGO in which the allegations were made.
