HC asks Kodnani if her plea to summon witnesses is necessary

The Gujarat High Court today asked former state minister Maya Kodnani to explain if her plea for summoning additional witnesses, including BJP president Amit Shah, in the 2002 Naroda Patiya riot case is necessary.
Kodnani was convicted by the trial court in the Naroda Patiya case relating to massacre of 96 persons during the 2002 Gujarat riots. The high court is hearing appeals in the case.
Division bench of justices Harsha Devani and A S Supehiya today asked Kodnani's lawyer Harshad Dave to reconsider the application seeking to summon eight persons, including BJP president Shah, as defence witnesses, and reply tomorrow.

During the arguments, Kodnani's lawyers did not press for appearance of Shah and two others as witnesses.
The high court said its order on the application will have some bearing on the Naroda Gam riot case, which has Kodnani as an accused and which is currently being heard by a special court.
Asking Kodnani's lawyer to consider if the application was necessary, the court adjourned the hearing to tomorrow.
The Special Investigation Team which probed the riot cases has opposed Kodnani's application.
The special court hearing Naroda Gam case had allowed Kodnani recently to summon 14 witnesses including Amit Shah. Her application contended that she needed to examine these witnesses to prove her 'alibi' (she was not present at the spot when crime took place but was elsewhere).