Date:31/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/31/stories/2008053153850700.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Court rejects SIT plea

Special Correspondent

AHMEDABAD: The Vijapur fast track court on Friday rejected the plea of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Supreme Court for a further remand of the eight accused in the Sardarpura massacre in Mehsana district in north Gujarat.

The court at the same time also rejected the bail applications of the accused and sent all of them to judicial custody.

The SIT under the former CBI director, R. K. Raghavan, was appointed by the Supreme Court for fresh investigations into some dozen very serious incidents of communal riots in Gujarat during the post-Godhra carnage in 2002. The SIT arrested eight people in connection with the Sardarpura incident on Tuesday and secured three days remand from the Vijapur court for intensive questioning.

At the expiry of the three days remand, the SIT produced the eight accused before the court on Friday seeking further three days remand on the ground that it still needed some time for cross-checking some of the information volunteered by the accused. The court, however, rejected the demand.

But the court also did not agree with the plea of the accused that they be granted bail claiming themselves to be innocent.