SC declines Teesta's plea for early hearing on Guj

New Delhi, Nov 2: The Supreme Court today declined to give early hearing to an application filed by social activist Teesta Setalvad, seeking summoning of the CDs of the Tehelka exposure in which the accused in Gujarat violence cases have openly admitted their crime.

Ms Setalvad had also prayed to the apex court to provide adequate protection to the key witnesses in 2002 Gujarat communal violence cases.

A bench, comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice R V Raveendran, ruled that there was no urgency in the matter and the application could come up for hearing in the normal course.

She has also prayed to the court that disclosures made in the Tehelka exposure should be treated as evidence under the Indian Evidence Act.

Shiv Sena leader Babu Bajrangi and Godhra BJP MLA Haresh Bhatt have disclosed in the exposure that they were in constant touch with the State Chief Minister Narendra Modi and then State Home Minister Govardhan Zadaphia in which Bajrangi was told by the State Home Minister to leave the state after he had killed several members of the minority community.

Gujarat was rocked by violence following Godhra train burning incident in 2002.

UNI