Godhra case: Gujarat HC allows Centre to withdraw appeal on panel

The Gujarat High Court has allowed the Centre to withdraw its appeal against an earlier order which had termed as illegal the Justice UC Banerjee Commission appointed by the then UPA government in 2004 to probe the Godhra train burning incident. The high court, in its order passed on 25 July, granted permission to the newly-formed BJP-led NDA government at the Centre to withdraw appeal against the high court order. The high court had, in October 2006, discarded the findings of the Banerjee panel report and ruled that the probe was ‘unconstitutional, illegal and null and void’ but the erstwhile UPA government had challenged it. ‘The petitioner (the Union government) seeks permission to withdraw this appeal. Permission, as prayed for, is granted. The present appeal stands disposed of as withdrawn. Rule is discharged,’ the Gujarat High Court division bench comprising justice KS Jhaveri and justice AG Uraizee said in the order passed on 25 July. The commission had been formed by the then Union Railway minister Lalu Prasad in 2004 to probe the Sabarmati train burning incident in which 59 persons, mostly kar sevaks, had lost their lives in 2002 in Godhra which was followed by anti-Mulsim riots in the state. At that time, the Gujarat government-appointed Nanavati Commission was already probing the incident.