Sanjiv Bhatt says injustice done to Zakia Jafri and victims of 2002 riots

Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt on Thursday said there has been a miscarriage of justice in the case of Zakia Jafri, whose plea against Special Investigation Team closure report in 2002 Gujarat riots was dismissed by a district court.

"There has been a miscarriage of justice. People who suffered in 2002 riots didn't get the justice. The truth did not come out and this is the flaw of our democracy," Bhatt said on court dismissing the Zakia Jafri plea against the SIT report.

"The way the SIT investigated this case and the way it tried to protect the culprits, I think it was not placed before the court aptly. Or the court failed to appreciate it," he said.

"The complainant should approach the higher courts and I hope that they get justice," he added.

On the Cabinet's decision to set up a commission of inquiry into the allegations of snooping by the Gujarat Government, Bhatt said, "This is the first step in the right direction as the state machinery is being misused in Gujarat. Many things will come out how during in 2009, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah misused state machinery, including ATS, Crime Branch and Intelligence Bureau, for their personal reasons. In this the role of all officers will come out. How they forged documents for permissions and used officials to stalk women will be revealed. So, the people have the right to be informed in democracy."

"It is just been approved by the Cabinet. Now the central will have to find judges to chair the commission. It is a long procedure," he added.