JUDGE ACCUSED OF SUPPORTING RIOTERS JOINS GUJARAT PROBE

he Gujarat government’s decision to appoint retired judge Akshay Mehta in the Nanavati Commission probing the 2002 Godhra incident and the riots thereafter has led to shrill protests from riots victims and lawyers as well as rights activists. They said the judge’s name had come up in a TV sting operation a few months ago,…

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June 18, 2022
The Gujarat government’s decision to appoint retired judge Akshay Mehta in the Nanavati Commission probing the 2002 Godhra incident and the riots thereafter has led to shrill protests from riots victims and lawyers as well as rights activists. They said the judge’s name had come up in a TV sting operation a few months ago, in which a Sangh Parivar man and key accused in the Naroda Patiya massacre had bragged that Justice Mehta was “our man”.

In the Tehelka tapes, the accused, Babu Bajrangi, had claimed that Chief Minister Narendra Modi had arranged bail for him by placing his plea before Justice Mehta who was “our man.” He also claimed that on the instructions of Modi, Justice Mehta had granted him bail without even opening the case file. The Jan Sangharsh Manch, which represents the riot victims before the two-judge panel, threatened to boycott the proceedings if Justice Mehta takes over. Its counsel Dr. Mukul Sinha said: “How can a judge with such serious allegations against him be on the commission probing the riots?” Mehta will fill up the vacancy in the panel caused by the death of Justice K.G. Shah last month. The other member of the panel is Justice G.T. Nanavati.