In a significant statement to the Gujarat High Court, the state government-appointed Nanavati-Mehta Commission probing the 2002 Godhra and post-Godhra riots has indicated that it may summon chief minister Narendra Modi and others to record their statements.
The commission, on Thursday, stated before the high court that its decision so far not to summon Modi and six others was not ?final?, but only ?tentative?.
Jan Sangharsh Manch (JSM), an organisation spearheading the legal battle for riot victims had moved an application before the commission to summon Narendra Modi and six others in connection with the Godhra train carnage and the subsequent riots, that left over 1,200 people dead in 2002.
Apart from Modi, the JSM had demanded to summon the then home minister Gordhan Zadafia, then health minister (now Gujarat Assembly speaker) Ashok Bhatt, then DCP of Ahmedabad R J Savani and three staff members of the chief minister?s office?Omprakash Singh, Tanmay Mehta and Sanjay Bhavsar.
On Septmeber 18, 2009, the commission had turned down the JSM plea and the latter challenged it in the HC. Justice KS Jhaveri had upheld the commission?s order, and the issue moved to the Division Bench of Chief Justice SJ Mukhopadhaya and Justice Akil Kureshi.
It is the case of the petitioner that since the terms of reference of the commission itself have the expressed provision to probe the role of the CM and others, the commission has to summon them. The term of the commission ends on June 30.