'Satyamev Jayate', says Anurag Thakur on SC dismissing plea over SIT report on post-Godhra violence

Union Minister Anurag Thakur has hailed the Supreme Court decision dismissing a petition challenging the Special Investigation Team (SIT) report on post-Godhra violence in Gujarat and stating that truth alone triumphs.

"Satyamev Jayate ! Supreme Court of India gives a clean chit and has dismissed the plea filed by Zakia Jafri challenging the SC-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) report on post-Godhra violence in Gujarat. Supreme Court says petition is without merit," Thakur said in a tweet.

The national emblem of India carries the motto 'Satyamev Jayate' which means truth alone triumphs.

The petition in Supreme Court was filed by Zakia Jafri, widow of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri in the Supreme Court. Ehsan Jafri was among 69 people killed during the violence at the Gulberg Society in Ahmedabad on February 28, 2002.

Zakia Jafri had challenged the SIT's clean chit to 64 people including Narendra Modi who was then the Gujarat Chief Minister.

The bench headed by Justices AM Khanwilkar said that it finds the appeal devoid of merit.

"After cogitating over the matter, we uphold the decision of the Magistrate in accepting the stated final report dated February 8, 2012, submitted by the SIT, as it is and rejecting the protest petition filed by the appellant. We do not countenance the submission of the appellant regarding infraction of rule of law in the matter of investigation and the approach of the Magistrate and the High Court in dealing with the final report.

Accordingly, we hold that this appeal is devoid of merits and resultantly, deserves to be dismissed in the aforementioned terms. We order accordingly," the bench said in its judgement.

The apex court pronounced the verdict in which it had reserved the order on December 9, 2021.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Jafri, had told the bench also comprising Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and CT Ravikumar, that they have not argued at all about any alleged involvement of the former chief minister and they are on the issue of a larger conspiracy which was not probed by the SIT.

SIT had opposed the plea of Jafri saying there is a sinister plot behind the complaint to probe the "larger conspiracy" behind the 2002 Gujarat riots and the original complaint by Jafri was directed by social activist Teesta Setalvad, who levelled allegations just to keep the pot boiling.

Setalvad had also challenged an October 2017 order of the Gujarat high court refusing to reopen the closure report of the SIT. "

The Gujarat High Court had upheld the Magisterial court's order, accepting the SIT's closure report.

( With inputs from ANI )