08, May 2017

The Asian Age
January 21, 2010

Johri wants to quit Gujarat riots
probe team

DEEPAL TRIVEDI

AHMEDABAD

Jan. 20: Senior IPS
officer Geetha Johri has written to special investigation team (SIT)
chairman R.K. Raghavan and drawn the attention of Supreme Court amicus
curiae Harish Salve regarding “allegations” made against her in the
top court. Ms Johri has categorically requested that she be dropped
from the high-powered SIT, appointed on instructions of the Supreme
Court to investigate select cases of large-scale violence and
massacres that took place in Gujarat in the aftermath of the 2002
communal riots. The SIT is also probing the role of Gujarat chief
minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat riots.

Ms Johri confirmed that
she does not want to be a part of the SIT in view of the recent
Supreme Court observations where allegations were made about the way
she had conducted investigations in the Sohrabuddin Fake encounter
case. The investigation of this case has now been handed over to the
CBI.

On Tuesday,
Solicitor-General of India Gopal Subramanian, during hearing in the
Supreme Court on the SIT, sought reconstitution of the SIT.

He said the team should
be reconstituted because the apex court has passed sever remarks
against one of the members, Ms Johri, in the Sohrabuddin encounter
case, which has now been given to the CBI for investigation.
Interestingly, the court has accepted the submission and posted the
matter for further hearing on February 9.

She believes that her
integrity and objectivity is constantly being questioned,” a senior
official of the Gujarat government told this paper.

While ordering the CBI
probe in the sensational encounter case in which Sohrabuddin, his wife
Kauser Bi and an informer Tulsiram Prajapati were killed by the
Gujarat police, the Supreme Court bench of Justices Tarun Chaterjee
and Aftam Alam remarked that the Gujarat police did not investigate
the case in proper manner and has left many discrepancies .