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Kodnani resigns from Ministry, surrenders

Manas Dasgupta

She is an accused in the Naroda carnage case

PHOTO: AP

Gujarat Minister Mayaben Kodnani goes to surrender before the SIT, in Gandhinagar on Friday. —

GANDHINAGAR: Gujarat Minister of State for Women’s Welfare Mayaben Kodnani on Friday resigned from the Narendra Modi Cabinet and surrendered before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) after the Gujarat High Court cancelled the anticipatory bail granted to her by the Ahmedabad Sessions Court.

Ms. Kodnani is an accused in the case of Naroda massacres during the 2002 post-Godhra communal riots.

On a day of swift developments, Justice D.H. Vaghela cancelled the anticipatory bail granted on February 5 to Ms. Kodnani and State Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Jaideep Patel. He did not accept their plea to grant a six-week stay on bail rejection, to give them time to approach the Supreme Court.

Within hours of the verdict, delivered after a month-long hearing on the SIT’s plea for rejection of bail, Ms. Kodnani, in consultation with Mr. Modi and other senior BJP leaders, submitted her resignation and the Chief Minister promptly forwarded it to Governor Nawal Kishore Sharma with his recommendation to accept it.

Even as speculation was rife on the SIT formally placing them under arrest, Ms. Kodnani and Mr. Patel reached the SIT office with a large number of supporters and surrendered amidst shouting of slogans.

While Ms. Kodnani avoided the media, Mr. Patel pleaded “innocence.” He said they were being “framed” at the behest of some voluntary organisations.

Serious crime: court

Justice Vaghela said killing innocent people in an organised manner was a very serious crime. “Communal harmony is a hallmark of democracy. Religious fanatics do not belong to any religion. They are no less than terrorists,” he said.

Pointing out that the Sessions Court had “erred” in its judgment, he said the fact that so much time had elapsed since the heinous crime was committed did not take away the “gravity of the crime.” Considering the power and position the accused enjoyed in society, there was every possibility that they would influence the investigation.

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