Zakia Jafri, the wife of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri who was killed in the 2002 Gujarat riots, died on Saturday in Ahmedabad at the age of 86. Ehsan Jafri was among 69 persons who were killed inside Gulbarg Society, a Muslim neighbourhood in Ahmedabad, on February 28, 2002, a day after coaches of the Sabarmati Express train were burnt in Godhra, resulting in the deaths of 59 'karsevaks' returning from Ayodhya. The incident triggered horrific rioting across the state. Zakia Jafri hit the national headlines as she waged a legal battle all the way to the Supreme Court in a bid to hold top political leaders accountable for the large conspiracy for the riots post the Godhra train burning episode. Her son Tanveer Jafri said that his mother was visiting his sister's house in Ahmedabad when she complained of feeling uneasy. The doctor who was called in declared her dead at around 11:30 am. Social activist Teesta Setalvad, who was co-complainant in Jafri's protest petition in the Supreme Court, posted on X that Zakia Jafri was a compassionate leader of the human rights community.
Following is the timeline of events in the case in which the Supreme Court on Friday upheld the Special Investigation Team's (SIT) clean chit to then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and 63 others in the 2002 riots in the state.
Terming the 2002 incidents of Godhra and subsequent riots as a "national tragedy of gargantuan proportions", Sibal said the petitioner is concerned with how the majesty of the law will deal with such issues when men "behave like animals".
Zakia Jafri, the wife of slain Congress leader Ehsan Jafri who was killed at Gulberg society in Ahmedabad on February 28, 2002 during the violence, has challenged the SIT's clean chit to 64 persons including Narendra Modi, the then Gujarat chief minister during the 2002 riots in the state.
The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a order entitling slain Congress MP Ehsan Jafri's wife Zakia Jafri to obtain the entire probe report submitted by Special Investigation Team in the 2002 Gulberg Society riots case.
Every February 28th, Zakia Jafri relives the agony of witnessing the brutal massacre of her husband, former Congress MP Ahsan Jafri, along with scores of other women and children. Despite deteriorating health, her hope that those responsible will be brought to justice, remains strong, notes Najid Hussain.
Zakia Jafri, wife of slain Congress ex-member of Parliament Ehsan Jafri, on Monday said she was very disappointed with the Supreme Court ruling in the 2002 Gulburg Society riots case but asserted that she will fight for justice till the end.
The Supreme Court Tuesday said it would hear on October 26 a plea filed by Zakia Jafri, the wife of slain Congress leader Ehsan Jafri, challenging the Special Investigation Team (SIT) clean chit to Narendra Modi, who was the Gujarat chief minister during the 2002 riots in the state.
Pragnesh Bhatt speaks to Zakia Jafri, wife of slain Congress ex-member of Parliament Ehsan Jafri, after the Supreme Court referred the controversial Gulburg society riots case on Monday. Excerpts from the interview:
The Supreme Court on Monday directed the special investigation team, which probed the 2002 Gujarat riots cases, to apprise it on whether documents relating to the closure report of the case of killing of Congress leader Ehsan Jafri can be supplied to his wife Zakia Jafri
The Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team on Monday termed as "instigating" the petition filed by Zakia Jafri.
A bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar upheld the Special Metropolitan Magistrate's order rejecting Jafri's protest petition against the closure report filed by the SIT.
A local court on Tuesday ruled that Zakia Jafri, whose husband and former Congress Member of Parliament Ehsan Zafri was killed in the Gujarat riots, has lost the right to file a protest petition against the Special Investigation Team's report giving a clean chit to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, due to lapse of time.
The court said that the petitioner can approach a higher court for further investigation in the case.
The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday fixed for hearing on April 13 the plea of Zakia Jafri, wife of slain member of Parliament Ehsan Jafri, challenging the SIT's clean chit to then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 riots, saying it would not entertain any request of adjournment on the next date.
The bench said it will look into the application before hearing the matter on making Setalvad as the second petitioner in Jafri's plea.
A metropolitan court in Ahmedabad on Wednesday rejected pleas seeking copies of the Special Investigation Team's final report regarding Zakia Jafri's complaint saying it would decide on them only after all related documents are submitted by the probe agency.
A local court on Wednesday granted time till October 25 to Zakia Jafri to file a protest petition on the closure report filed by Special Investigation Team giving clean chit to Chief Minister Narendra Modi and others in 2002 post-Godhra riots.
Zakia, the wife of Ehsan Jafri, an ex-MP who was killed in one of the worst incidents during the riots, has challenged the Gujarat high court's October 5, 2017, order rejecting her plea against the SIT's decision.
Social activist Teesta Setalvad, who has been fighting for the victims of Gulberg Society, said they will study the judgement in depth and appeal in a higher court.
Ehsan Jafri was killed during the riots. Zakia Jafri, his wife, had filed the petition challenging the special investigation team's report giving a clean chit to Modi and 63 others.
A Supreme Court bench on Monday said it cannot go into the issue of supplying Special Investigation Team (SIT) documents relating to the Gulburg Housing Society riot case in Ahmedabad in 2002 to the widow of slain Congress leader Ehsan Jafri.
A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and Deepak Gupta said the matter will be heard on November 19, as the court has not gone through the petition in detail.
Communal violence is like a lava erupting from a volcano which scars the ground it touches, senior advocate Kapil Sibal told the Supreme Court on Wednesday while arguing for Zakia Jafri who has challenged the SIT's clean chit to 64 persons including Narendra Modi, the then Gujarat chief minister during the 2002 riots there.
The special investigation team had not conducted any probe on the alleged larger conspiracy in the 2002 Gujarat riots and there was an effort to 'protect' and ensure that people from the Bajrang Dal, police, bureaucracy and others are not prosecuted, Zakia Jafri told the Supreme Court on Thursday.
The lawyer defending the Supreme Court-appointed special investigation team, which gave a clean chit to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 post-Godhra riots case on the complaint by Zakia Jafri, Friday said that "her complaint contains nothing but all irrelevant things".
A Metropolitan Magistrate Court on Saturday rejected the plea filed by Zakia Jafri, a 2002 Gujarat riot victim, to open the final report of the Special Investigation Team.
A week after the Supreme Court order, the wife of slain ex-Congress MP Ehsan Jafri was Wednesday given a copy of preliminary report of the Special Investigation Team which probed her complaint against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and others, and gave clean chit to them in the post Godhra riots.
A court on Wednesday again extended the time given to Zakia Jafri, the widow of slain former Congress Member of Parliament Ehsan Jafri, to file protest petition against the closure report of the special investigation team which gave clean chit to Chief Minister Narendra Modi and others in the 2002 riot cases.
A Gujarat court on Monday ordered Zakia Jafri, wife of ex-Congress Member of Parliament Ehsan Jafri who was killed during the 2002 post-Godhra riots, to challenge the Special Investigation Team closure report giving clean chit to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and others by April 15.
An Ahmedabad court on Monday rejected Zakia Jafri's demand for access to preliminary report filed by A K Malhotra of Special Investigation Team in the Supreme Court during the inquiry into her complaint against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and others with regard to 2002 riots.
A local court on Thursday reserved its order for October 30 on a plea filed by Zakia Jafri, wife of the slain former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, seeking more time to file 'protest petition' against the closure report of special investigation team which gave clean chit to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and others in 2002 riot cases.
The Special Investigation Team on Wednesday strongly contested the protest petition filed by Zakia Jafri against its closure report giving clean chit to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and others in the 2002 post-Godhra riot case.
Zakia Jafri, the wife of former Congress Member of Parliament Ehsan Jafri (who was killed in 2002 Gujarat riots), today took objection to the Special Investigation Team `locus standi' at the hearing on her application seeking more time to file protest petition against SIT's closure report giving clean chit to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and 61 others.
Victims of the Gujarat riots will not get any justice if Narendra Modi becomes India's prime minister, the wife of former Member of Parliament Ahsan Jafri, who was killed by a violent mob during the post-Godhra riots in Ahmedabad a decade ago, told United States lawmakers.
Zakia Jafri, wife of 2002 post-Godhra riots victim and former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, on Monday filed a protest petition in a local court seeking rejection of the Special Investigation Team report giving a clean chit to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and others in the Gulberg Society riot case.
There was no material to substantiate claims of any larger conspiracy in the 2002 Gujarat riots and the idea behind alleging that the violence was state-sponsored is to keep the 'pot boiling' which showed 'sinister signs,' the special investigation team told the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
The Special Investigation Team which investigated complaints against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and others in a riot case, told a court on that activist Teesta Setalvad might tamper with evidence if allowed to inspect original documents of the probe.
Zakia Jafri, widow of former Congress Member of Parliament Ehsan Jafri, on Tuesday approached the Gujarat high court challenging the Ahmedabad metropolitan court order upholding SIT's clean chit to Gujarat Chief minister Narendra Modi and others in connection with the 2002 riots case.
Zakia Jafri, the widow of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri who was killed along with 68 others in the Gulberg Society in Ahmedabad during the Gujarat riots of 2002, visited the Gulberg society on the 21st anniversary of the massacre on February 28, 2023.
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