SIT court junks two pleas, proceeds with Naroda Gam trial

AHMEDABAD: After the Supreme Court’s directions to wind up the trial in six months, the special court hearing the 2002 Naroda Gam massacre case on Monday started recording statements of the accused persons.
Before beginning the second stage of the trial, designated SIT judge P B Desai rejected the objection application filed by accused persons against the prosecution’s purshish to close recording of evidence of witnesses.
The special court also turned down the request of accused and former minister Maya Kodnani to recall the then Naroda police inspector K K Mysorewala for further cross-examination. The prosecution vehemently objected to these applications on the ground that these are simply the means employed to delay the trial, sources said.
After rejecting the two pleas, the court began recording further statements of the seven accused persons under provisions of section 313 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
The court, however, has kept pending the application of the accused by which they urged the court to make former IPS officer Rahul Sharma an accused and put him on trial for losing the vital piece of evidence - call details. They are accusing Sharma of tampering with evidence on the ground that the state government has also accused him of losing the original CDs containing call records. The CAT quashed proceedings against Sharma and the state government has now challenged the CAT order before Gujarat high court.
The special court is trying 84 persons on charges of killing 11 Muslims the day after the Godhra carnage.
In September, the Supreme Court asked the court to complete the trial in six months. The trial in this case began in 2009 and 187 witnesses have been examined so far. The deposition of investigating officer, P L Mall, lasted for more than two years.