The Nanavati-Mehta commission report which was tabled in the Gujarat Assembly on Wednesday gave a clean chit to the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The commission was established to probe the 2002 Gujarat riots in which over 1000 people were killed. The riots happened post burning of two coaches of the Sabarmati Express train near Godhra railway station, in which 59 ‘karsevaks’ were killed.
The final report was tabled in the Assembly as a response to public interest litigation (PIL) filed by R.B. Sreekumar, a former IPS officer. He filed affidavits and questioned the “inaction” by the state government during post-Godhra riots. Sreekumar first filed the PIL in 2015 for the final report to be made public.
The commission was established by Chief Minister Narendra Modi, on February 28, 2002. It was initially chaired only by Justice G.T. Nanavati but later the government reconstituted the commission and late Justice K.G. Shah joined as the member. In 2008, after the death of Justice Shah, Justice (retired) Akshay Mehta was appointed as the second member of the commission.
The commission, after its formation, was given a deadline of six months for the inquiry and submission of the report. But it was continuously neglected and extended, and the first report was submitted in 2009 and the final report in 2014.
The commission’s final report was first submitted to former CM Anandiben Patel five years ago on November 18, 2014, but it was withheld by the State government since then.
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