Nearly four months ago, the Maharashtra government had promised to scrutinise the Mumbai riot cases and select 30 for a speedy trial. The high powered state panel has submitted a list of 16 cases for fast track courts but it is a disappointing list. Not a single case against a politician was referred to the fast track court. Only two cases against policemen were included. Although, the Suleiman Bakery firing case has been included, there is no appeal against the discharge of former police commissioner R.D. Tyagi. In seven of the 16 cases, the accused include Muslims.
The activists say that the most disappointing is that not a single fresh case has been filed on the basis of available evidence and no appeals have been filed so far on cases that have been dismissed. “They have just taken the cases pending in the courts and put them in fast track courts. It will make no difference, because they are not reinvestigating the cases. But the Home Minister claims that the state is taking the Mumbai riot cases seriously,” commented Shakil Ahmad, Activist, Nirbhay Bano Andolan.