By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi: The Supreme Court issued a notice against the Union and Gujarat governments on a petition seeking an enquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the killing of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri during the Gujarat 2002 pogram.
After hearing arguments from the counsel for the petitioner, Zakia Jafri, MP’s widow, a bench comprising Justices Arijit Pasayat and P Sathasivam on 3rd March directed the Centre and the Gujarat government to suggest remedies available to a person who wishes to stand as witness but is not approached by police or prosecuting agencies. The petitioner alleged the police of lacking enthusiasm to record her statement.
Her counsel told the court that the state police were investigating into the case but their sole motive seemed to protect the culprits. The counsel argued that the Narendra Modi-led BJP government was trying to misguide the enquiry.
During the Best Bakery case trial, the court noted, the reason for transferring the cases outside Gujarat was borne from the fact that witnesses were afraid to stand testimony during trial in the state. But the case in hand was different in that the witness wanted to depose but the police were not willing to record their statement.
The petitioner had included the CBI in her petition. The court however refrained from issuing notice to the central investigating agency. The court has appointed advocate Prashant Bhushan as amicus curiae to assist it in the case.