Zakia calls it 'half justice', to move higher court

Zakia Jafri, the widow of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri who was one of the 69 people killed by mob in the Gulberg Society massacre here on February 28, 2002, termed the verdict of the special court on Thursday as "half justice" and said she would move the higher court against acquittals.

Zakia said she was not satisfied with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) inquiry in the case and would move the state high court against the verdict, but advocate S.M. Vora, who represented the survivors of the massacre, said he was satisfied with the court verdict.

Vora told reporters that Zakia's reaction to the verdict was her own.

"So far as I am concerned, I am satisfied with the decision. The court has held 24 guilty, of whom 11 were under Section 302 pertaining to murder, and 13 others under lesser charges," he said.

"Though we are contemplating to request the court to reconsider the judgment and give the 13 with lesser charges harsher punishment, yet I can't say that I am dissatisfied with the verdict," Vora said.

Earlier, reacting to the court verdict, Zakia, who had taken up the matter to the Supreme Court which led to the formation of the SIT in 2009, said the Special Investigation Team had seemingly not done the inquiry properly.

"More than half of them have been acquitted, which shows that the verdict and the investigation were not up to mark. It is like half justice. I fought for 15 years and it seems now that my work is far from over. I will have to continue my legal battle (approaching the higher court again) as well," Zakia said.

Special SIT court Judge P.B. Desai on Thursday acquitted 36 accused persons while holding 24 guilty. Six of the accused had died during the course of trial.

--IANS

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