Gujarat Riot Case: Amit Shah stands witness to Maya Kodnani before special SIT court, says she was with him in assembly

BJP president Amit Shah on Monday appeared before a special SIT court hearing the 2002 Naroda Gram riot case. 

Shah was summoned by special SIT judge PB Desai on last Tuesday as a defence witness for former Gujarat minister Maya Kodnani, who is one of the prime accused. 

Kodnani, in her application to prove her innocence, said that on the day of incident she had visited Sola civil hospital after attending the state Legislative Assembly.

She claimed in the application that Shah, who was an MLA at that time, was also present at the Sola civil hospital, where bodies of ‘karsevaks’ killed in the Sabarmati train burning incident were brought from Godhra.

Amit Shah verified her account, "Maya Kodnani was not present in Naroda Gam, she was inside the state assembly at 8.30 am," Shah told the court. 

Gujarat: Amit Shah leaves after appearing before a sessions court in Ahmedabad as Maya Kodnani's witness in 2002 Naroda Gam riots case. pic.twitter.com/CGDNhH7Szo

— ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2017

Amit Shah gave the following testimony in the court: 

#I left my home on 28th at around 7:15 for state assembly. The timing for the session was 8:30. I was traveling by my car. Members were present inside the assembly house along with the speaker. A tribute was paid to victims of Godhra train incident. 

#Maya Kodnani was also present in the Assembly

#Phone was buzzing whole day, I visited Sola Civil Hospital, which was in my jurisdiction 

#I reached there at around 9:30-9:45 AM, several dead bodies were brought there 

#I met Maya Kodnani in hospital 

#When I was leaving the hospital, people crowded me. Police escorted me and Maya Behen till our cars at around 11-11:15 AM 

Gujarat: BJP President Amit Shah appears before a sessions court in Ahmedabad as Maya Kodnani's witness in 2002 Naroda Gam riots case. pic.twitter.com/iWkgMQXndl

— ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2017

Read | Gulbarg Society Massacre case: Timeline of Zakia Jafri's fight for justice

Two weeks back, the Supreme Court had asked the SIT court to conclude the trial within four months.

A bench headed by then Chief Justice JS Khehar was informed that the trial was in progress and evidence of the defence witnesses was being recorded by a special court.

The top court had asked the lower court to complete the recording of evidence of the remaining defence witnesses in two months.

The massacre in Naroda Gram in Ahmedabad is one of the nine major 2002 communal riots cases which were investigated by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

Eleven persons belonging to the minority community were killed in Naroda Gam in the 2002 riots, during a bandh called to protest the Godhra train burning incident.

A total of 82 persons are facing trial in the case.

Kodnani, who was then a minister in the Narendra Modi-led state government, has already been convicted and sentenced to 28 years in jail in the case of riot at Naroda Patiya where 97 people were massacred.

Read | Bilkis Bano rape case: SC refuses to stay conviction of IPS officer R S Bhagora