Request for greater security ignored: Naroda Patia judge

AHMEDABAD: Retired judge Jyotsna Yagnik said on Wednesday that her request to the state government for increasing her security cover, following threats to her life, seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
Yagnik had sentenced to life imprisonment 32 accused in the 2002 Naroda Patia massacre case.
She had made a representation to the government for increasing her security cover from ‘Y' to ‘Z' category after she continued to receive threats through letters and over phone.
Even after more than six months, nothing has happened in regard to her request. "There is a proverb in Gujarati language that 'pet nu pani nathi haltu' (turning deaf ears), they have deaf ears. As it is said in court — status quo — so there is status quo," Yagnik said on the sidelines of a function to announce a two-day national seminar on amended provisions of CSR in the Company's Act. The seminar will be conducted by the United World School of Law which she currently heads.
She further said, "When they can approach high court judges, you can imagine under what pressure a trial court judge would have delivered the verdict."
Recently, three Gujarat high court judges recused themselves from hearing appeals in the case and two of them — Justice M R Shah and Justice K S Jhaveri — had complained that some of the accused had tried to approach them.
After the matter of retired judge Jyotsna Yagnik's security gained controversy, the state government sought a report from the state's Intelligence Bureau.
Sources in the state IB said, "We have already submitted our report to the state government, and it is now up to the government to act on it."
In August 2012, Yagnik, as special SIT judge, had sentenced 32 persons, including former minister Maya Kodnani and Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi, to life imprisonment for the killing of 97 persons, mostly women and children, on February 28, 2002.