National

Justice K.G. Shah dead

AHMEDABAD: Justice K. G. Shah, one of the members of the Nanavati-Shah commission probing the Godhra train carnage and the post-Godhra communal riots in Gujarat, died here on Sunday. He was 73.

Mr. Justice Shah, who was staying alone in his Satellite road flat here, may have breathed his last late on Saturday night. He was found dead when his personal attendant came for duty on Sunday morning.

The immediate cause of his death was not known but Mr. Justice Shah had earlier suffered from tongue cancer. His wife died about a year ago. His son was staying separately and daughter was in the United States.

A retired judge of the Gujarat High Court, Mr. Justice Shah was the first to be appointed on the Godhra probe commission in April 2002 by the State government. Later the commission was strengthened with the appointment of the retired judge of the Supreme Court, Justice G. T. Nanavati, to head the panel.

Mr. Justice Shah had attended even the last sitting of the commission earlier this month when it reserved its ruling on the demand of the Jansangharsha Manch, representing the riot victims before the panel, for summoning the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, and some senior political, bureaucratic and police officials for cross-examination.

Sources said the commission was almost at the fag-end of the probe into the train carnage.

The present term of the commission is due to expire in June.

The Manch advocate, Mukul Sinha, sent a petition to the State government demanding that the replacement for Mr. Justice Shah on the commission be appointed “in consultation” with the Manch and other organisations supporting the cause of the riot victims.

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