Gulberg Society case: Court rejects plea to make four former cops accused

The special court conducting the trial in the case related to 2002 Gulberg Society massacre in which 69 persons were killed during post-Godhra riots on Monday rejected the survivors' plea that four former police officers be made accused for alleged negligence in duty.

Special judge P B Desai rejected the petition seeking arraignment of the then Ahmedabad Police Commissioner P C Pandey, Joint Commissioner of Police M K Tandon, Assistant Commissioner of Police P B Gondia and Assistant Police Commissioner S S Chudasama.

Advocate S M Vora, petitioners' lawyer, argued that these officers did not react in time to stop the mob which went on a rampage inside the Society and killed 69 persons, mostly Muslims, including formrer Congress MP Ehsan Jafri. But the Supreme Court-appointed special investigation team submitted that the plea should be rejected as it had found no material evidence against the four officers. Special Public Prosecutor R C Kodekar said that roles of Pandey and others had been probed thoroughly on the application of Ehsan Jafri's wife, Zakia Jafri, but nothing incriminating was found.