Gujarat Riots: Justice Nanavati Panel submits riots report to CM Anandiben Patel

Gandhinagar: After 12 years since its formation and 24 extensions, the Justice Nan-avati Commission on Tuesday submitted its second and final report on the 2002 post-Godhra riots in Gujarat, to Chief Minister Anandiben Patel.

The Terms of Reference (ToR) of the commission included to probe the role of the all the state functionaries, including the then CM, his cabinet colleagues, senior governm-ent and police officers, along with members of right-wing organisations, during the 2002 riots.

The Commission in its first report submitted in 2008 had concluded that incident of the Godhra train burning was a “pre-planned conspiracy and not an accident” and had given a clean chit to the then CM Narendra Modi, and his ministers.

Refusing to divulge details of the second and final report regarding the finding on the role of the then state administration, Justice Nanavati on Tuesday said doing so would be the breach of conditions set by the Legislative Assembly for the commission.

When asked about the delay in submitting the report, he said, “All that has been dealt with in the report, so one has to go through the report.”
However, he later said that the panel had to wait for the probe report of the SIT (appointed by the Supreme Court).

The commission had, in February 2006, sought the written correspondence between the then president K.R. Narayanan and PM Mr Vajpayee on riots. However, the then Congress-led UPA government denied it.

Justice Nanavati also lamented the fact that many people did not come out to testify before it during the period. “Even if some of the influential people, whose testimony before the commission could have carried weight, had come before the commission it would have been useful in the investigation,” he said.