You are hooked on The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case from the first episode, applauds Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
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.
Making serious allegations against the Supreme Court appointed Special Investigation Team, suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt on Friday said that the agency was "reluctant" in examining key-witnesses about the February 27, 2002 meeting held at Chief Minister Narendra Modi's residence.
There are many differences between the preliminary inquiry reports of the Special Investigation Team and its final investigation report, which gave a clean chit to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 riots case.
The Supreme Court on Friday restrained the Gujarat government from entrusting the Ishrat Jahan encounter case to the Special Investigation Team headed by former Central Bureau of Investigation director R K Raghavan which is probing the post-Godhra communal riots in the state
The Supreme Court today asked the Special Investigating Committee, headed by former Central Bureau of Investigation director R K Raghavan, to consider whether further probe was required against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and 52 others in the complaint filed by Jakia Jafri, widow of former Congress member of Parliament Ehsan Jafri, who was burnt alive in post Godhra riots.
The Special Investigation Team that investigated the Godhra train burning incident on Tuesday indicated that it may go in for an appeal against the acquittal of the main accused and 62 others in the case.
Ending suspense over his appearance before the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team probing the 2002 Gujarat riots, Chief Minister Narendra Modi has agreed to present himself before the panel on March 27.
The Special Investigation Team probing the alleged role of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in post-Godhra killing of ex-Congress Member of Parliament Ehasan Jafri on Friday submitted its report to the Supreme Court.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has not so far responded to the summons issued by the Special Investigation team to appear before it on Saturday in connection with the 2002 post-Godhra riots even as his office remained tight-lipped over the matter.
Nearly a year after it was set up by the Supreme Court, a high-powered Special Investigation Team probing the post-Gohdra riots cases in Gujarat has submitted its report before the apex judiciary.
A day after grilling Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the chief of Supreme Court-appointed SIT going into the Gujarat riots on Sunday said his questioning in the Gulbarg Society case was a "very big step forward in unravelling quite a few mysteries" and was confident he would file his report in the apex court by the April 30 deadline.
Special Investigation Team chief R K Raghavan on Monday parried questions on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's claim that he had not been asked to appear before it on March 21 specifically after he failed to turn up for questioning that day.
The Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team on Tuesday began its inquiry into a complaint filed against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and others in connection with the post-Godhra riots. "It can be officially said that we have begun an inquiry into the petition filed in the Supreme Court against some of the leading politicians in Gujarat," SIT chief R K Raghavan said. "This is just the first stage, we have a plan of action for the investigations," he said.
The five-member team headed by former CBI chief R K Raghavan spent almost an entire morning visiting the sites, sources in the police department said. The team, which include former director general of police of Uttar Pradesh C D Sathpathy and three IPS officers from Gujarat -- Geeta Johri, Shivanand Jha and Ashish Bhatia -- had an extensive meeting at Meghaninagar police station after visiting the contentious sites, police sources said.
The issue related to the petition filed by the National Human Rights Commission, which sought transfer of the trial of the riots' cases outside Gujarat and re-investigation by an independent agency. The NHRC had filed the petition after several witnesses turned hostile amidst allegations of threat, coercion and inducement to derail the investigation.AA three-member bench said it would pass necessary orders on Wednesday for constituting the SIT.
'Everyone is keen that the case should succeed and the Special Investigation Team will be a model in this case. The Supreme Court is sensitive to this case, what more do we need?' asks Gujarat SIT chief R K Raghavan.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday appointed K G Menon, a senior advocate from Mumbai, to assist the Special Investigation Team (SIT) earlier constituted by it for a fresh probe or further investigations into 14 post Godhra riot cases.
The Madras high court, on Wednesday, dismissed a PIL filed by former CBI director R K Raghavan and others to restrain the Board of Control for Cricket in India and its chairman Shashank Manohar from effecting any adverse changes which will reduce the board's share of revenue from the International Cricket Council.
The Supreme Court asked the Justice Mudgal Committee whether it is willing to further probe Srinivasan and 12 others, including some prominent cricketers, in the IPL spot-fixing and betting scandal.
The probe team's chief at that time, R K Raghavan, in his new book, said it required "tremendous persuasion" to make Modi agree to a short recess. "This was possibly Modi's concession to the need for a respite for Malhotra rather than for himself. Such was the energy of the man."
However, her son Tanveer Jafri said there was definitely 'some sense of closure' at the convictions but it would have to be seen why some of the accused were not convicted.
The bench hailed the work done so far by the SIT and allowed the request of Salve, while asking A K Malhotra, another member of the SIT, to oversee the functioning of the probe team.
Faced with a credibility crisis arising out of the IPL spot-fixing and betting scandal, the BCCI has suggested to the Supreme Court a three-member committee made up of eminent persons to probe the corruption case on the directives of the apex court.
A bench headed by Justice A K Patnaik, which had suggested that the probe be conducted by the Justice Mudgal Committee, reserved the order after the Board of Control for Cricket in India and Srinivasan opposed further investigation by the committee and pleaded for setting up a fresh panel.
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.
'Every director is subject to some kind of pressure,' former CBI director Dr R K Raghavan tells Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier. 'Ultimately, it all depends on the individual and the maturity and sense of fair play of the director. It is up to the director to cope with the pressure and if he is a man of character, he can.'
'I don't think there is a need to order a fresh investigation into the complaint against Modi & Co. As the amicus curiae Raju Ramachandran said in his report to the Supreme Court, the existing material is more than sufficient to prosecute Modi and other high-ups of his regime,' Manoj Mitta, author of the book The Fiction Of Fact-Finding: Modi and Godhra tells Rediff.com's Prasanna D Zore.
Former Board of Control for Cricket in India chief Sharad Pawar wants Justice J N Patel, who is part of a three-man probe panel set up by the Board to investigate the IPL corruption scandal, to come clean on his reported links with the body's interim president, Shivlal Yadav. He also deprecated the presence of former India captain Ravi Shastri on the inquiry committee, citing conflict of interest.
Of the 24 convicted, 11 have been convicted for murder and 13 for other charges.
One hopes the higher courts take the extraordinary steps needed to secure justice for the victims. The Gujarat carnage demands nothing less because of its unique nature and sponsorship by the State, argues Praful Bidwai.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances