Court-appointed advocate finds basis to prosecute Modi for Gujarat riots

A lawyer appointed by India's Supreme Court found sufficient grounds for the prosecution of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his alleged efforts to slow the police response to deadly Hindu on Muslim violence during the Ahmedabad riots of 2002, the Indian Express reports.

The leak of the report findings comes as Modi continues to try to rehabilitate his image in an effort to secure a position as the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate for prime minister in the next election.  Though extremely popular with the right-leaning public that make up the BJP's supporters, however, Modi has many rivals within the party apparatus, and many believe his presence would hamper the party's ability to form a post-poll coalition with more moderate allies.

In a report prepared at the behest of the court, amicus curiae Raju Ramachandran argued that Modi's alleged instructions to his subordinates to allow Hindus to vent their anger against the Muslim community following the burning of a train car in Godhra was not sufficient to merit a case against him for conspiracy to commit murder, but it could form the basis of prosecution under various other sections of the Indian penal code dealing with encouraging violence between religious communities, the paper said.

The report also argued that there is enough reason to further examine the claims of IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt about a meeting with Modi on February 27, 2002, when Bhatt has claimed that Modi urged subordinates to let the riots continue, as well as the presence of two ministers in the control room during the post-Godhra riots.

The paper cited unnamed sources as saying there was a clear “difference in perception” between Ramachandran and the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on the role of Modi and his state machinery in the riots, though they relied on the same information in forming their conclusions.

In September, Bhatt was arrested by the Ahmedabad police on charges of wrongful confinement and giving false evidence. Many here interpreted his arrest as punishment for his testimony against Modi, however.  

Bhatt obtained bail after 18 days in confinement and was released on Oct. 17.

Addressing a press conference at his residence, Bhatt said, "Justice should be delivered. People who are victim of state violence should get justice," according to CNN/IBN.  "I am not afraid of any one. Let them do what they can."