On the Gulbarga Society Case

On the Gulbarga Society case, the Supreme Court has directed the Trial Court to look at the various reports including the SIT report, the report of the Amicus Curae as well as affidavits containing damning evidence against the Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s role, all of which were before the Supreme Court. This can by no means be considered exoneration of the Chief Minister’s role as is being claimed by Modi and his party. On the contrary the Supreme Court direction means that the complaint filed by Zakia Jafri and co-petitioner Citizens for Peace and Justice before the Supreme Court including the specific role of Modi will be included as part of a now expanded charge sheet in the case.

It is already nine years since the horrific genocide in Gujarat. If victims and family members like Zakia Jafri, the widow of Ehsan Jafri who was brutally killed still await justice, it is a sad commentary on the delays in the judicial system in which even such cases of mass killings are not dealt with in a time bound manner. It is essential for the Trial Court to expedite the case so that justice is not further delayed and thereby denied.