Gorakhpur riots case: HC asks petitioners to file rejoinder to govt affidavit

On a petition seeking a CBI probe into the 2007 Gorakhpur riots, the Allahabad High Court today asked the petitioners to file his rejoinder to the counter affidavit of the state government.
A Division Bench, comprising Justice Krishna Murari and Justice K P Singh, passed the order on the petition of Parvez Parwaz and Asad Hayat and fixed July 27 as the next date of hearing in the matter.
In the case, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, along with the then city Mayor Anju Chaudhary and local BJP MLA Radha Mohan Das Agrawal, had been named as the accused.

"The state government, in its counter affidavit filed today, has merely stated that the CB-CID has completed its investigation. Its reply leaves much to be desired and fails to answer a number of questions raised by the court on the previous date of hearing," said the petitioners' counsel S F A Naqvi.
"We will point out the shortcomings in our rejoinder on the next date," Naqvi added.
During the last hearing, an affidavit was filed by the then Chief Secretary Rahul Bhatnagar - who appeared in person - stating that the state government had "refused" to grant permission for prosecuting Yogi.

Advocate General Raghavendra Singh had earlier said the FIR had been lodged by the petitioners 10 months after the riots took place and that the case appeared to be "politically motivated".