SC verdict: BJP hails 'Modi's victory' after case goes to lower court, CM thanks god

Sep 12, 2011 |

Agencies

New Delhi

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday said the Supreme Court directive to a trial court to hear a case against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the killing of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri during the 2002 riots was a 'victory' for the chief minister and he would now play a bigger role in national poitics.

"It is not just a relief for Modi, but a victory for Modi," BJP spokesperson Balbir K. Punj told reporters here. BJP leader Arun Jaitley said there was no evidence against Modi.

Punj said Modi will now 'play a much larger role in the national political scene'.

Modi, meanwhile, summed up his reaction in just a three-word tweet - 'God is great'.

The apex court order came on a petition of Zakia Jafri, the widow of Ehasan Jafri, urging a probe into Modi's role in the Gulbarg Society carnage and the trial of the case by a special court outside the state.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice D.K. Jain directed the SIT, which is probing the riot cases, to submit its final report before the magistrate who was asked to decide whether to proceed against Modi and 63 others, which includes senior government officials.

The bench also made it clear that there was no need for it to further monitor the riot cases.

"The BJP had always said that the allegations made against the Gujarat chief minister in relation to 2002 riots were absolutely false and there is not a shred of evidence," said BJP's Jaitley.

He said the trial in the case is in final stages and there is no evidence against Gujarat chief minister.

"There is no evidence to connect him (Narendra Modi) with any of this crime. Propaganda and falsehood can never be a substitute for hard evidence... we are glad this is now being accepted. I am glad that the apex court came to a conclusion that trial in the state of Gujarat can be fair and free," he said.

In the 2002 mob attack on Gulbarg Society, 37 people, including former Congress MP Jafri, were killed.

Zakia Jafri has alleged inaction of 63 people, including the chief minister, ministers and high-ranking officers, in the incident.

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