I endorse the appeal below on behalf of Teesta Setalvad and others .
We need to endorse this appeal as there is clearly victimization.
Niloufer Bhagwat
----- Original Message -----
From: sandhya gokhale
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, February 21, 2011 12:24 PM
Subject: [humanrights-movement:3773] Please endorse the Appeal :
JusticeforSurvivors of Guj 2002 carnage
Dear Friends,
This is an appeal we would like to submit to the authorities
mentioned here. After long struggle of nine years, the Gujarat 2002 carnage
survivors are likely to get some justice soon, But State machinery is trying
its best to vitiate the process. This is our attempt at supporting the
survivors. We appeal to all Women's Organizations, Human Rights Groups and
networks to endorse this appeal.
Please respond as soon as possible.
Hon’ble Mr. Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya
21st February 2011
Chief Justice, High Court of Gujarat
Phone : 079-27664601-15
E-Mail : [email protected]
Shri Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister
Fax: 011-23019334
Ph: 011-23018939/1156
Email: [email protected]
Hon'ble Mr. Justice S.H. Kapadia
Chief Justice of India
Fax: 011-23381508/1584
Ph: 011-23388922-24
Email: [email protected]
Victimization of Teesta Setalvad CJP, Advocate M.M. Tirmizi & victims
survivors of 2002
We the undersigned Citizens, Women’s Organizations, Human Rights
organizations are gravely concerned at the continued persecution of human
rights defender Teesta Setalvad, Secretary, Citizens for Justice and Peace
(CJP). Further, Advocate Sohail Tirmizi, and several other human rights
campaigners are also being harassed. These people have been in the forefront of
the struggle to secure justice for the victims of the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Ms. Teesta Setalvad is a human rights activist and journalist, whose
unflagging struggle to secure justice for the victims of the mass violence in
Gujarat 2002 evokes our admiration and support. Instead of awarding her a high
place of honour in society, divisive elements are now attempting to stifle her
voice, by organizing a malicious campaign.
Elements in the State of Gujarat are trying to intimidate and threaten
her through a series of false cases and malafide prosecutions. What is at stake
is the conviction of over 350 accused in the nine major trials (Gulberg,
Sardarpura, Odh, Naroda Patiya, Naroda Gaam) as also the inquiry into the role
of the chief minister Narendra Modi and cabinet ministers, along with IAS and
IPS officials who allowed the carnage to take place unchecked. The Citizens for
Justice and Peace is co-petitioner in the petition that led the Special
Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate criminal charges of conspiracy to
commit mass murder, destruction of evidence and subversion of the process of
public justice. The attempts to implicate Teesta Setalvad in some criminal
offence or other is an attempt to discredit the petitioners.
Gujarat State's police is making false accusations of doctoring
testimonies (FIR lodged under the IT Act, February 10 2011) and affidavits, and
also of instigating victims to exhume the dead bodies of their loved ones (CR
3/2006), against MS. Teesta and CJP, an organisation that has stood for nine
years supporting the legal battle of the survivors.
There is no guarantee that more false cases will not also cooked up by
the police who are pressurised by a vindictive state government. After
Tehelka's exposure of the SIT report indicting Modi, "The Smoking Gun"
(February 10, 2011), IPS officer Rahul Sharma was served with a show cause
notice for placing crucial telephone records before the Nanavati Shah
Commission and the SIT. Clearly the Gujarat government, worried by indications
that offences could be registered against its chief functionaries for not just
aiding a massacre in 2002, but also of destroying evidence and subverting the
course of justice, is
doing all it can do intimidate the victim survivors and the human
rights groups who have stood by them.
Earlier, in the Best bakery case which was shifted to Mumbai, a 'star
witeness' was induced to change her testimony and claim false affidavits were
filed, while all other witnesses stood by the case. Since September 2010, Mr.
Rais Khan, a former CJP employee, whose employment with CJP was terminated for
financial irregularities and suspicious conduct in January 2008, is being made
to collaborate with the State agencies to implicate Teesta and others who are
fighting legal battles along with the victims.
We would like to respectfully point out that this sinister campaign has
been launched at a time when crucial trials are nearing completion. These
trials involve victims/survivors who have courageously testified against
powerful Gujarati perpetrators, at grave risk to their lives. The evidence
gathered against three hundred and fifty (350) perpetrators is extremely
strong, and is expected to result in the conviction of a large number of
accused.
In the Best Bakery case mentioned above, the Honourable Court had
ordered an inquiry by the Registrar General of the Supreme Court which cleared
Ms. Setalvad of the malicious charges, and in fact punished the witness for
perjury. It can be seen therefore that from the outset the government of
Gujarat, through agent provocateurs, has subverted all efforts to punish the
perpetrators of the anti minority pogrom of 2002. The current campaign was
initially launched in May 2009, by the State of Gujarat’s counsel in the
Supreme Court, and is now being echoed by Mr. Rais Khan.
This vindictive onslaught against Ms. Setalvad and her lawyers is a
determined bid to disrupt the trials, derail the course of justice, and to
influence the course of conviction - in short, to
derail the course of public justice. We respectfully and urgently
request your attention towards this matter and to ensure that injustice will
not prevail.
FORUM AGAINST OPPRESSION OF WOMEN, MUMBAI
AWAAZ-E-NISWAAN, MUMBAI
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