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SIT allowed to take voice samples of post-Godhra riot accused (Feb 8, 2010, DNA India)

A Special Court today allowed the Special Investigation Team (SIT),
probing afresh some of the post-Godhra riot cases, to take voice
samples of three accused in the Naroda Patiya case, who were
video-taped during a sting operation by Tehelka magazine in 2007. The
Supreme Court-appointed SIT had last month filed an application seeking
permission to take voice spectrograph of Babu Bajrangi, Suresh Langdo
and Prakash Rathod, accused of rioting at Naroda Patiya here, among the
areas worst hit by the communal violence in the wake of Sabarmati train
burning.

Designated judge Jyotsna Yagnik, while allowing SIT’s
application, asked the agency to collect the voice samples and do the
voice spectrograph at the earliest. The SIT petition said they wanted
to cross-check claims of the journalist who carried out the sting
operation. The operation using a hidden camera caught the trio
describing how they carried out the attack along with other leaders of
the saffron brigade and politicians, and how they were given free hand
by the police.

The probe agency has already recorded the
statement of Tehelka reporter Ashish Khaitan, who carried out the
sting. Ninety-five persons were killed in Naroda Patiya on February 28,
2002. SIT had filed chargesheet against over 60 persons in the case,
which include former minister in the Narendra Modi government Maya
Kodnani.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_sit-allowed-to-take-voice-samples-of-post-godhra-riot-accused_1345113

Repair holy places damaged in 2002 riots: HC to govt (Feb 9, 2010, Times of India)

Gujarat High Court has ordered the state government to repair and
reconstruct the religious places that were damaged during 2002 riots.
Acting on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Islamic Relief
Committee Gujarat (IRCG) and upon the advocate general’s admission to
the fact that the state has done nothing in this regard, a division
bench of Chief Justice SJ Mukhopadhaya and Justice AS Dave, in an oral
order, directed the government to repair the damaged religious
structures at least to make people "feel that the government is
working".

Though the order at present is for repairing and
rebuilding 64 structures, it did not come without the court pulling up
the state and without some castigation from the judges. IRCG had in
2003, sought the court’s directions to the government to pay
compensation towards damage of religious places on the ground that the
National Human Rights Commission too had recommended the same and the
state government had in principle accepted the suggestion.

When
the court asked advocate general Kamal Trivedi regarding NHRC
recommendations, he denied that the state had agreed to follow them.
Upon this, the bench took the state government to task and observed,
"You (the state government) said yes to NHRC, thinking that its a
toothless body, and seven years later you deny it before a court of
law." Asking the AG to check his records, the judges have framed three
questions in this case: "How can compensation can be granted for damage
to religious places in absence of any scheme? How far a state
government is liable to pay for damage of a religious structure? Can a
court issue directions on basis of fact-finding report of NHRC or any
such commission?"

Advising the government on "not politicising
the cases", the court asked the state to first get 64 religious
structures repaired. The bench has kept further hearing on March 2
after commenting, "There is no question of discrimination (in repairing
religious places). People will feel that NHRC recommendations are being
implemented