Gujarat HC verdict on UC Banerjee not a slap on UPA: Cong

New Delhi, Oct 13 (UNI) The Congress today said the Gujarat High Court verdict setting aside the UC Banerjee Committee report, which had ruled the Godhra train fire was accidental, was neither a slap on the face of the UPA government nor warranted the resignation of Railway Minister Lalu Prasad.

At this stage when the order had come only a couple of hours before, the Congress felt there would be ''sufficient legal grounds'' for challenging the High Court order and as such it would not be proper to treat the judicial observations with certain finality, party spokesman Abishek Singhvi told reporters.

''There is no finality attached to the judgment'' as the legal system offered corrective mechanisms and the Congress hoped that the government would challenge the verdict in a superior court within a reasonable time.

Replying to specific queries whether the court order was a stricture against the UPA government and whether Mr Lalu Prasad should resign, Mr Singhvi firmly said ''no'' as there were several avenues before the government and it had become a usual practice to demand the resignation of ministers on flimsy grounds.

Several court verdicts had been reversed on appeal, he pointed out. To another query, he said Banerjee committee had been empowered with several sections and provisions of the Commissions of Inquiry Act depending upon the needs felt now and then.

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