Modi will cooperate with SIT: Jaitley

New Delhi, Mar 22 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley on Monday said Gujarat Chief minster Narendra Modi was not scheduled to appear before the Supreme Court's Special Investigation Team (SIT) over the 2002 communal riots on Sunday.

Asked why Modi didn't appear before the SIT, Jaitley told reporters: "SIT didn't fix March 21 for Modi's appearance."

"For the past few days, there has been incorrect information circulated in the media from some interested quarters about the date of SIT's summon. It is an effort to create wrong impression to interfere in the process of law," the senior BJP leader said.

He further said: "When Modi has to appear there (before the SIT) at designated time, he will. He will cooperate with the SIT."

Earlier, the same day (Monday) Narendra Modi issued a press statement where he reasoned out that the SIT don't summon anyone on Sundays and on public holidays.

"I will respond to the SIT fully respecting law and keeping in view the dignity of the body appointed by the Supreme Court. But it is a matter of grave concern and needs investigation as to why and who started spreading lies that Narendra Modi has been summoned by SIT (Special Investigation Team) on March 21," read the statement.


On March 11, the SIT issued summons to Modi to appear before it on March 21 for questioning on the 2002 communal riots.

For the first time ever Modi has been summoned by the SIT in the Gujarat riot cases.

SIT chief RK Raghavan had said, "I can only comment that this summon is in compliance to the petition filed by Zakia Jaffery. We are calling him mainly on that and March 21 is the date that we have asked him to appear before the court. We want to know Modi's response."

Zakia Jaffery is the widow of Ehsan Jaffrey, former Congress Member of Parliament, who was killed during the Gulberg Society riots in Gujarat on February 28, 2002. She had filed a 100-page complaint to the SIT naming Modi.

"Narendra Modi had issued instructions to the police and security establishments to remain inactive and allow a free run to rioters. That's why the police didn't act," Jaffery told media.

The infamous Gujarat riots of 2002 left hundreds of Muslims dead, injured and tortured and came as a blot in the BJP rule. The riots followed an incident of train burning in Godhra in which Hindus returning from Ayodhya were killed by a Muslim mob.