Geetha Johri does not want to be a part of SIT anymore...

Senior IPS officer Geetha Johri has written to SIT chairman R K Raghavan and drawn the attention of the amicus curiae of SC Harish Salve regarding “allegations” made against her in the Supreme Court. Ms Johri has categorically requested that she be dropped from the high powered Special Investigation Team (SIT)appointed on instructions of the Supreme Court toinvestigate select cases of large-scale violence and massacres that took place in Gujarat in the aftermath of the 2002 communal riots. The SIT is also probing the role of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat riots.

Ms Johri confirmed that she does not want to be a part of the SIT in view of the recent Supreme Court observations where allegations were made about the way she had conducted investigations in the Sohrabuddin Fake encounter case. The investigation of this case has now been handed over to the CBI.

On Tuesday, solicitor general of India ,Gopal Subramanian , during hearing in the Supreme Court on the SIT, sought reconstitution of the SIT . He submitted the team should be reconstituted because the Apex Court has passed sever remarks against one of the members ( Ms Johri) in the Sohrabuddin encounter case, which has now been given to CBI for investigation. Interestingly, the Court has accepted the submission and posted the matter for further hearing on February 9.

Ms Johri has drawn the attention of Mr Salve regarding allegations made against her. She believes that her integrity and objectivity is constantly being questioned,” a senior official of Gujarat government told this paper.

While ordering the CBI probe in the sensational encounter case in which Sohrabuddin, his wife Kauser Bi and an informer Tulsiram Prajapati were killed by the Gujarat police, the Supreme Court bench of Justices Tarun Chaterjee and Aftam Alam remarked that the Gujarat police did not investigate the case in proper manner and has left many discrepancies .

"Mr V L Solanki, an investigating officer, was proceeding in the right direction, but Ms Johri had not been carrying out the investigation in the right manner, in view of our discussions made herein above. "It appears that Ms Johri had not made any reference to the second report of Solanki, and that though his first report was attached with one of her reports, the same was not forwarded to this Court. Therefore, we are of the view that her mentioning the criminal background of Sohrabuddin and the discussion among the accused officers concerning Sohrabuddin was meant to obfuscate the enquiry," the apex court said.

The court lamented that the Gujarat Government deliberately attempted to mislead the court on the whereabouts of Sohrabuddin's wife Kauserbi and their family friend Tulsiram Prajapati who are also alleged to have been killed by police to destroy evidence.

The SIT headed by former CBI chief R K Raghavan was constituted under the directives of the Supreme Court last year in April to probe the complaint of Zakia Jafri, widow of former Congress Rajyasabha MP Ehsan Jafri . Ehsan Jafri was one of the hundreds who was burnt to death in his Gulberg socity residence in the aftermath of Godhra riots. Ms Jafri has been pointing towards the alleged role of Modi and other senior politicians in the 2002 communal riots. The nine cases SIT is investigating include incidents of Gulberg Society, Naroda Gaon, Naroda Patiya and Sardarpura.