The Supreme Court on Tuesday made it clear that it would brook no further adjournment from both sides while posting a petition filed by Zakia Jafri, widow of slain Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, against the SIT's clean chit to then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 Godhra riots to April 13.
“By consent, list the matter on April 13, 2021. It is made clear that no request for further adjournment will be sought by either side on that day,” a three-judge Bench led by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar recorded in its order.
The court took into consideration a request by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, for Ms. Jafri, to adjourn the case to April as several lawyers were engaged with the ongoing Maratha quota case before a Constitution Bench.
Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, for the Gujarat government, asked the court to list the case next week. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, for the SIT, also sought an early hearing while objecting to the adjournment.
The case has seen several adjournments in the past months.
At one point in an earlier hearing, Justice Khanwilkar had orally remarked that “we cannot keep adjourning this. We have to hear it someday...”
On February 8, 2012, the SIT had filed a closure report, giving clean chit to Mr. Modi and 63 others, including senior government officials, saying there was “no prosecutable evidence” against them.
