New Delhi: Supreme Court on Tuesday recorded an undertaking from Maharashtra government that it would relieve senior IPS officer Dr K Venkatesan within a week to enable him join the reconstituted SIT, headed by former CBI director R K Raghavan, to probe to post-Godhra riots.
A Bench, headed by Justice D K Jain, recorded the undertaking after Maharashtra’s counsel Sanjay Kardia assured the court that the state had no objection to the officer joining the SIT and said necessary steps would be taken within a week to relieve him of his present responsibilities in the state.
Modi’s statement was recorded by SIT on March 27-28 in connection with the riots at the Gulbarg society in Ahmedabad in which senior Congress leader Ahsan Jafri was killed. Venkatesan is at present working as an IG in the office of the DGP Maharashtra.
On August 19, the apex court had issued a show cause notice to Maharashtra government for not relieving Venkatesan, who has been identified as one of the two members to be included in SIT after two Gujarat cadre officers, Geetha Johri and Shivanand Jha, were moved out of the probe panel by the apex court.
Raghavan said the other member Y C Modi, a senior Assam cadre IPS officer, has already joined the panel. Raghavan told the bench that he had communicated with the home ministry regarding the appointment of Venkateshan, who is an officer of high integrity and competence, but the Maharashtra government was not willing to relieve him.
SIT is monitoring 10 cases of 2002 Gujarat riots on the directions of the apex court.
The cases relate to Gulbarg Society, Ode, Sardarpura, Naroda Gaam, Naroda Patia, Baranpura, Machipith, Tarsali, Pandarwada and Raghavapura
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