HC issues notices to Gujarat Govt on Pandharwada mass graves

Ahmedabad, Apr 20 (UNI) Gujarat High Court today issued notices to the State government on a plea of relatives of riot victims for a stay and transfer to CBI the investigations related to an FIR filed filed by the police, charging them with tampering evidence by digging up a mass grave of post-Godhra riot victims in Panchmahal district in December last year.

Justice A S Dave has posted the matter for urgent hearing on April 28. In an oral observation, he said no action should be taken in this regard till then.

The Citizen for Justice and Peace (CJP) had moved the court after non-bailable warrants were issued against five relatives and a CJP activist Rais Khan on Tuesday by a Lunawada court.

The FIR had been filed in Khanpur police station against a total of 11 people, who had dug up skeletal remains of riot victims on December 27 last year and had charged the State administration with ''hiding'' the bodies in the grave.

But, the police maintained that all the bodies had been identified and buried in accordance with legal procedures for unclaimed bodies.

UNI MMG KD AD HT1817