Professional Documents
Culture Documents
TS REJOINDER AFFIDavit
TS REJOINDER AFFIDavit
PETITIONERS
VERSUS
RESPONDENTS
2.
3.
I say that I have gone through the affidavit in reply filed by the State
of Gujarat. Unless specifically admitted by me hereunder, each and
every allegation made therein is denied as false.
4.
5.
I humbly pray that in view of the limited scope of the reply that the
State
was
permitted
to
file,
all
other
irrelevant
6.
&
(iii)
That this deliberate and criminal negligence and nonperformance of duties enjoined by law, on part of senior
officers and authorities of the State need hardnosed
independent scrutiny;
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
(vii)
(viii)
7.
8.
9.
10.
of
Annexure A Colly
I say and submit therefore that the insinuation in the affidavit of the
State that the timing of the application for the re-constitution of the
SIT is belated or motivated is completely false and baseless. I
further say and submit that petitioners were not given a copy of the
progress reports submitted by the SIT to this Honble Court.
Therefore, the petitioners had no idea about the progress or work
done by the SIT till charge sheets were filed by the SIT in some of
the cases. When scrutiny of these charge sheets disclosed that the
SIT had not done a complete investigation and had omitted to
investigate the larger conspiracy and had not collected the
evidence against the responsible senior police officers and
influential political persons of the ruling establishment, the
petitioners still believed that the SIT will thereafter do the needful
under Section 173(8) of the Code, as was also directed in the order
dated May 01, 2009 passed by this Honble Court. I say and
submit that it is pertinent to mention here that the order dated May
01, 2009 was passed solely on the basis of the progress reports
submitted by the SIT to this Honble Court, and to which reports the
petitioners were not privy to and had no access to, and the
petitioners responses could not be brought to bear on the order
dated May 01, 2009 of this Honble Court.
I further say and submit that our belief was violated by the
experience that followed. Months passed and nothing concrete by
way of completing the investigations, as material incompleteness
were apparent from the charge-sheets, was done by the SIT even
when the SIT was formally requested to complete the remaining
investigation.
I say and submit that despite pointing out the defects, lacunae and
incompleteness in the charge-sheet filed by the SIT, the SIT has
been dragging its feet
11. I say and submit that the irresponsible use of terms like undisclosed
ulterior object vested interests etc against me personally and the
organization that I represent is nothing short of a) intimidation of a
human rights defender assisting victim survivors and eyewitnesses in
the pursuit of justice especially dangerous and ominous when the
intimidation comes from a powerful state backed by money and
power; b) a crude attempt at slander and defamation; c) an effort to
raise public sentiments and hatred towards a struggle for justice and
reparation.
13. I say and submit that the contentions made in paragraphs 3, 5, 12,
22, 33, 34, 38 and 39 are all malicious and misleading and
completely unsubstantiated. I say and submit that it is irresponsible
and unaccountable for a state to make loose allegations such as the
ones made without substantiating them with material facts. I say and
submit that untruth and slander seem to be the only method and
means used by the state of Gujarat as they have repeatedly resorted
to these practices and continue to resort to such tactics to this day.
14. I say and submit that the contentions made in paragraph 3 of the
affidavit are irrelevant to the matters under consideration of this
Hon'ble Court. I further say and submit that the fact that for the first
time in the history of the country, mass crimes of such magnitude are
being closely investigated and prosecuted is a victory for the rule of
law and democracy in this country. I say and submit that allusions to
political ramifications etc is a deliberate attempt of the State to
obfuscate from the fact of the matter at hand which is to interrogate
fairly and in a non biased manner the wealth of documentary
10
15.
I say and submit that free and fair investigation ought to mean that
the SIT gets to the root of laid down rules & regulations,
procedures, etc. for preservation of such documents, in violation of
which such a key document was destroyed. The SIT was required
to investigate whether such documents were destroyed at all or is
being deliberately concealed, and if destroyed, under whose orders
11
12
16.
13
17.
14
18.
15
responsible human rights activist did not find it proper to request for
re-constitution of the SIT at that stage as I had no personal bias
against any officer. Following a perusal of the charge sheets in the
cases, and our accessing of documentary evidence related to
telephone records, fire brigade registers, and control room records
and analyzing the same we found the extent and depth of
subversion indulged in by all three officers from Gujarat included in
the SIT. I humbly say that at the time of the appointment of the SIT
on March 25-26,2008, it is not insignificant that the Gujarat
government had come up with the list of these three officers, that
the Amicus Curiae had agreed to the same and that we had, at the
time itself placed our strong objections to the same on the records
of this Honble Court.
a.
16
c.
d.
e.
17
ii.
a.
b.
18
d.
of
Police,
Surat
City.
This
19
f.
City,
under
his
charge
with
the
h.
i.
20
be
entrusted
with
investigating
the
conspiratorial
21
iii.
shish Bhatia
a.
b.
Gulberg
regarding
the
involvement
of
political
22
e.
23
disturbing
pressurizing
from
the
this
account
special
of
public
Shri
Bhatias
prosecutor
to
19.
started, that the evidence on record confirmed that the SIT had
been seriously misled by these officers and failed to look into key
aspects that had been brought before it at the outset. I also say and
submit in specific response to paragraph 5(iii) that the SIT is heavily
dependent on the local Gujarat police officers who it appears, have
tried to record second sets of 161 statements to weaken the
prosecution case. However, when witnesses deposed before the
Courts these facts were revealed and there is no discrepancy in
their testimonies.
24
I say and submit that the valiant effort of the witnesses to get justice
reveals a faith in this Honble Court as they have deposed, under
severe duress from a hostile state before the Trial Courts.
Moreover, the statements have been recorded by the SIT in
apparent and clear violation of the law under the provisions of
section 162 Code of Criminal Procedure.
I say this because efforts have been made to pin a witness
testimony to whatever the police (in this case SIT) has written in the
police statement.
20.
It is
I say and submit that the averments made in paragraph 5(iv) of the
Gujarat Governments affidavit are misleading. There is no doubt
that the order was passed on May 1, 2009 by the Hon Supreme
Court but the Honble SC felt it proper to keep the matter pending
and directed the SIT to submit the report periodically. Thus, there
was a well thought out purpose or object behind doing so. The only
object could be to see that the trials are monitored and any injustice
could be brought to the notice of this Honble Court. I further
strongly refute the allegations made in Paragraph 5(v) and assert
that the august forum of this Honble Court is not being used by any
25
political party. Both I and the CJP are non-political dedicated to the
rule of law and human rights protection. Moreover, these kind of
bald faced falsehoods and accusations are likely to be made by any
aggrieved party before this Honble Court.
22.
26
attended it, and that another meeting was held on the afternoon of
that day at the Shahibaug Circuit House Annexe after the worst
damage at Gulberg Society and Naroda Patiya had already been
completed. I also say and submit that analysis of documentary
evidence also shows that the army was actually deployed in
Ahmedabad on March 4, 2002 and to make matters worse dumper
vehicles of the municipal corporation were offered as transport to
belittle this effort. (Annexure B Colly)
23.
24.
I say and
submit that the affidavit on behalf of the state of Gujarat then and
27
28
The above facts reveal as to how the state government has been
utterly and completely subverting the letter and spirit of the Order of
this Honble SC dated August 17, 2004. This is just one such
example of subversion of the process of justice under the current
dispensation in the state and there are many more.
25.
Specifically, the following facts about the way the Naroda Patiya
and Naroda Gaam cases have been investigated with reference to
the arrest of Smt Mayaben Kodnani are of interest:
a. In the Narado Patiya massacre case though evidence
was available from October, 2008 against the State
Minister Mayaben Kodnani, she was not shown as
accused in the first charge-sheet filed by the SIT in
December, 2008. She was arrested later due to Media
propaganda in March, 2009.
b. Mayaben Kodnani went absconding for a number of days
when she learnt that she was to be arrested. The SIT
29
No
30
26.
interests are
found to be
31
27.
28.
I say and submit that the averment in paragraph 26 that any order
passed for the re-constitution of the SIT would run contrary or
amount to a review of its own order by this Honble Court is a
limited and faulty understanding of the critical issues at hand.
32
29.
I say and submit that it is both clear and well-established law that in
an appropriate case when the court feels that the investigation by
the police authorities is not headed in the proper direction, or when
senior police officials are involved in the said crime, it was and is
always open to the court to hand over the investigation to an
independent agency like the CBI. It cannot be said that after the
charge sheet is submitted, the court is not empowered, in an
appropriate case, to hand over the investigation to an independent
agency like the CBI. I crave leave to refer to and rely upon various
judgements of this Honble Court at the time of hearing of the
application.
30.
31.
33
any explanation given by him if any. I also say and submit that a)
Shri Shah was also the special PP who prosecuted the Bilkees
Bano case in Mumbai and b) that we had raised objections to the
appointment of the other PPs chosen by the SIT and the state
(mentioned in our criminal application 19816/2009). I would also
like to take strong exception to paragraph 32 of the government of
Gujarats affidavit where they have taken exception to our
submitting specific names of officers to replace those in case the
re-constitution of the SIT.
32.
the
Code
of Criminal
Procedure, continued
further
34
27.01.2010
35
I say and
36
Court, but the same was however dismissed on February 26, 2010.
This witness has approached this Honble Court in appeal.
Witnesses
have
made
allegations
against
SI
officials
for
(ii)
(iii)
37
(iv)
33.
I say and submit that the averments in paragraph 31, wherein the
state is making an all out bid to state that investigations and
prosecutions of over 2,000 cases are being satisfactorily carried out
is belied by facts on the ground. I say and submit that at the
appropriate stage this Honble Court may deem it fit to summon
applications pertaining to the 2002 Gujarat violence still pending in
the Gujarat Courts be called for. I say and submit that these may
38
34.
35.
I say and submit that there has been a brazen and malicious desire
by the state of Gujarat, to obstruct the process of justice in all these
cases, and in fact ably aid those men and women accused of
conspiracy and actual participation in mass rape and murder, by not
supporting the case of the prosecution in these trials and actually
obstructing it by constantly undermining the testimonies of victim
survivors and the gravity of the offences committed. I say and
submit that the allegations made against me, the organization that I
represent and our advocate, Shri MM Tirmizi are false, malicious
and made with a sinister idea to digress from the course of justice,
from the punishment of those guilty of heinous and mass crimes.
36.
39
b)
37.
40
details
of
these
criminal
miscellaneous
41
42
remarks are removed from the records of this Honble Court. This
questionable conduct by the government of Gujarat in deliberately
and selectively leaking sections of the report has opened a
Pandoras Box and now even emboldened them enough for the
accused to, in collusion, even demand videography by the SIT that
has a clearly questionable evidentiary value in law considering
provisions of section 162 of the CrPC. Furthermore, following a
similar pattern, following the last date of hearing before this Hon
Court on April 6, 2010, one Bipin Patel who has been arraigned as
accused by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the Gulberg
Society Massacre Case (152/2002) has sought the lifting of the stay
on the trial in that case on grounds of delay despite the fact that he
was out on bail within three weeks of being arrested by the SIT in
February 2009. Worse still the facts revealed in his application and
the language used by him while making allegations against witness
statements submitted by them to the SIT and also signed
statements handed over by witnesses to the Special Investigation
Team is, uncannily similar to the language being used by Gujarat
state counsel, on record and orally before this Honble Court as
also Kallubhai Maliwad another powerful representative of the
ruling dispensation in Gujarat. I say and submit that it is clear that
the accused are in Gujarat are privy to information that is not
available to us.
I further say and submit that so far, on 22.2.2010 one prosecution
witnesses, namely PW 283 Aslamkhan Anwarkhan Pathan
respectively has named this accused, Shri Patel in court and also
assigned him a role with a weapon in the mob that attacked
Gulberg society.
43
39.
44
Ahmedabad, the Trial Court and the Apex Court. We also attach as
Annexure D Colly detailed Charts showing the Continued Failure
of Fair Investigation in the Ongoing Trials by the SIT as also the
Status of the Cases in the Trial Courts.
40.
41.
I say and submit that I would specifically like to refute the baseless
allegations made in paragraph 34 of the government of Gujarats
affidavit where again, baseless allegations are made against me
that are unsubstantiated by the affidavits annexed at page 304 of
the Volume I. The government of Gujarat refers to two affidavits one
filed by Nanumiya Malek and the other by Madina Arif Malek who
had both filed affidavits before this Honble Court in 2003. In her
affidavit the victim, Madina, herself does not speak of gender
violence (rape) whereas Nanumiya does. These are witnesses in
the case of the Naroda Gaam case. Neither of the two witnesses
have yet deposed before the Court. For the state of Gujarat to
45
46
killed was a story concocted by me. I say and submit that the
allegation is not simply ludicrous but consciously detrimental to the
process of justice. I say and submit that it is evident from the
photographs of the brutally dismembered photographs of the
bodies of unnamed victims of the Gulberg and Naroda massacres
available with us that unspeakable violence had been committed on
children, women and men. Several accused have boasted of these
acts on camera in Tehelka's Operation Kalank which has been
authenticated by the CBI. Post mortem reports of some of these
simply say burn injuries as often happens in such cases of mass
violence. Trials are still on. What could be the motive of the
government of Gujarat to selectively, and publicly undermine the
scale and extent of the tragedy except to protect accused who
enjoy high level patronage and were and are also, ministers in the
state cabinet until recently? I say and submit that this Honble Court
would find that official photographs and videography, mandatory
under the law, that were taken of these scenes of violence by the
Gujarat police have also been concealed from the Trial Courts. I
say nd submit that the SIT has not concerned itself with unearthing
these photographs or the videography until after 173(8) applications
were filed by witnesses.
42. I further say and submit that the series of systematic and concerted
efforts taken by the State of Gujarat in collusion with the powerful and
influential accused persons enumerated herein above is a well
thought of strategy of the State to intimidate me, malign my reputation
and the organisation that I represent to somehow ensure that the
moral and emotional support to the victim survivors is broken. I say
47
43. I say and submit that the lackluster investigation by the SIT headed
by Dr Raghavan and the current team has, inter alia, amounted to a
failure to
i.
ii.
iii.
48
v.
vi.
has also failed to apply for the cancellation of bail of the most
powerful arraigned ensuring that they are free while the trials
are conducted.
Naroda Patiya/Gaam Massacre
In the cases relating to Naroda Patiya
where over 110 persons were brutally murdered and girls and
women were brutally gang raped:
(i)
(ii)
49
50
(iv)
51
Gulberg Case
Applications for arraying new accused have been made by
witnesses, granted in part by the Trial Court and the appeal is
pending before the Gujarat High Court.
i.
totally
failed
to
inquire/
investigate
into
the
ii.
P.I. Erdas phone records shows that during the hours of the
carnage on 27th & 28th February 2002 he had made regular
calls (23 calls: 13 + 10) to the Police Control Room / Police
52
iii.
iv.
53
v.
vi.
Rao,
the
DG
Police
Chakravarti
&
Police
54
44.
(ii)
and
despite
being
in
(iv)
(v)
55
56
57
46.
I say and submit that it is clear from the averments in the states
affidavit in paragraphs 35-36 that it has tried to collapse the two
separate
sets
of
investigations
entrusted
to
the
Special
47.
58
order passed by this Honble Court directing the SIT to look into the
complaint and take all necessary steps provided under the law.
I further say and submit that as Convener of the Concerned
Citizens Tribunal headed by Justice VR Krishna Iyer and PB
Sawant (retired judges of this Honble Court) ingredients of the
complaint thereafter registered by St Jafri had been collected by us
and presented in the three-volume report Crimes Against Humanity
Gujarat 2002 on November 21-22, 2002. These included reports
and allegations of illegal meetings and instructions by no less than
the chief minister, unconstitutional behavior by cabinet ministers
sitting in the Ahmedabad City and Gujarat Police State Control
Rooms and City Control Rooms to influence the behaviour of
policemen etc. I say and submit that thereafter, detailed
corroborations of the ingredients of the state level complicity,
planning and premeditation into not just committal of heinous
crimes that killed 2,500 members of a minority community in 2002,
but brazen
efforts and
misuse
of the
Constitutional
and
48.
59
49.
I further say and submit that the fact that eight years down, there is
not a line or paragraph in the 68 page affidavit, that expresses
60
regret or remorse for the violence of 2002, does not offer respect
or concern for the victim survivors itself reveals the mind and heart
of the Gujarat Government that is ruthless, dictatorial and unmindful
of basic issues of due process of law.
50.
I say and submit that through the entire progress of this struggle for
justice for the victim survivors of the genocidal carnage of 2002 in
Gujarat, where state complicity of the very highest level, including
the elected chief minister of the state, there have been persistent,
periodic and malicious attempts to malign my reputation, integrity,
motive by the State.
51.
52.
I further say and submit that myself, and our organization and
lawyers, have been sought to be maligned repeatedly through the
proceedings in the Best Bakery case, during the hearing in the
present matter and while offering legal help to victims of mass
crimes of 2002. In this connection I say and submit that the whole
61
53.
54.
62
process in the 2,000 cases review despite the orders of this Honble
Court (paragraph 22 is just one example) this Honble Court may
direct the Chief Justice, Gujarat to constitute special benches to
dispose of, within a time bound manner all cases arising out of the
carnage of 2002. I say and submit that in the absence of such
orders it is likely that these crucial cases, many of whom lie in
appeal will not be heard for about 20 years!!
55.
56.
57.
I say and submit that I understand that the roles of persons like the
Petitioners herein and the organization, Citizens for Justice and
Peace who are supporting the witnesses are only to facilitate a
process wherein witnesses who need the support to access any of
63
the forums and who are not accessed by the SIT are provided that
support. The main role in my humble submission is that of the SIT.
58.
59.
I say and submit that the annexures filed with the present rejoinder
affidavit are true copies of their respective originals.
Deponent
Verification:
Verified at Ahmedabad on this 22 nd day of April 2010 that the contents of
the above affidavit are true and correct, no part of it is false and nothing
material has been concealed therefrom.
Deponent.
64