New Delhi, January 19
The Supreme Court today directed the Gujarat government to immediately hand over all documents, including the alleged inflammatory speeches of Chief Minister Narendra Modi, to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the post-Godhra 2002 communal riots.

A Bench comprising Justices DK Jain, P Sathasivam and Aftab Alam also rejected the SIT’s plea for five-month time to submit its report and asked the team to finish the work by April 30.

Gujarat’s Additional Advocate General Tushar Mehta contended that SIT was seeking records that were irrelevant to the investigation. The Bench, however, said the court-appointed team felt that the statement of Modi was important for the probe. “What is wrong if you make it available,” the court asked the state.

Mehta said the state government had already given documents running into 14,000 pages, upon which the Bench clarified it was not on the number of pages. “We want your response to the 14 documents that have been asked from you.”

The Bench issued the directive after the court-appointed SIT, headed by former CBI director RK Raghavan, submitted its interim report in a sealed cover. The court said it would take up on February 9 the demand for reconstitution of the SIT. The Citizens for Justice and Peace has sought the removal of three officers, including IGP Geetha Johri and IGP Shivanand Jha.

Opposing any change in the SIT, amicus curiae Harish Salve said Raghavan had assured him that things would be sorted out soon, prompting the Bench to defer the hearing till February 9.