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Hearing adjourned on SIT plea opposing pre-arrest bail for Gujarat Minister, VHP leader

Manas Dasgupta

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat High Court on Friday adjourned till March 17 the inconclusive hearing on the application of the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team for the cancellation of the anticipatory bail granted by the lower court to Minister of State for Women Welfare Mayaben Kodnani and Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Jaideep Patel.

During the hearing, the SIT claimed that Ms. Kodnani and Mr. Patel had led a mob during the 2002 communal massacre in Naroda-Patiya and Naroda Gaam but the local police dropped their names from the complaints lodged by the riot victims.

Declared ‘absconders’

The Ahmedabad sessions court had granted Ms. Kodnani and Mr. Patel anticipatory bails on February 5 after the SIT declared the duo “absconders” when they failed to respond to its summons twice in the last week of January for questioning.

The SIT advocate said the lower court failed to appreciate the team’s concern over the possibility of Ms. Kodnani and Mr. Patel tampering with evidence or influencing witnesses.

He claimed that the SIT had received complaints that after she was granted anticipatory bail, threats were issued to some witnesses on Ms. Kodnani’s behalf.

Disagreeing with the arguments of Ms. Kodnani and Mr. Patel’s advocate that their names were not listed in the original complaints but had been added seven years later, the SIT advocate said the local police had not carried out a through investigation, in order to shield the prominent Sangh leaders.

He also pointed out how the police closed the file against the duo claiming that they were not traceable. The deletion of names of important accused as in this case had taken place in other cases pertaining to the Gujarat riots. There were complaints of police inaction made before the SIT. Several such affidavits were filed before the Supreme Court in 2003 also complaining of police favouritism or inaction in dealing with important Hindu leaders allegedly involved in the 2002 riots, the SIT advocate told the court.

Meanwhile, the state parliamentary board of the BJP is claimed to have finalised its recommendations of candidates to contest the Lok Sabha elections from the State.

Leaves for Delhi

A team of State party leaders left for Delhi on Friday with the list for preliminary discussions with the high command before Chief Minister Narendra Modi and State party president Purshottam Rupala reach the national capital by March 17 for final approval by the central parliamentary board.

Asked by media persons the reasons for delay as originally he and Mr. Modi were due to leave for Delhi by March 10, Mr. Rupala denied there was any controversy over its recommendations. The delay was caused by the absence of some top leaders in the national capital.

Young leaders welcomed

Mr. Rupala also welcomed into the party, two young leaders, Amit Mehta, the grandson of the former Congress chief minister and later a senior Nationalist Congress Party leader in the state, Chhabildas Mehta, and Devang Nanavati, the son of the Congress leader and senior advocate, Sudhir Nanavati.

The senior Nanavati had unsuccessfully contested the State Assembly elections on the Congress ticket in 1985 and is currently a senior office-bearer of the Gujarat Cricket Association.

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