New Delhi, July 15: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today got a relief from the Supreme Court which refused to give direction to the CBI to interrogate him in the murder case of Haren Pandya, the state home minister in 2003.
“There should be some basis in the allegation,” a bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and justices P Sathasivan and B S Chauhan said.
The court was hearing the petition filed by Vithal Bhai Pandya, father of Haren, who was killed on March 26, 2003 when he had gone for a morning walk in Law Garden at Ellisbridge in Ahmedabad.
Vithal Bhai had alleged that his son was killed as a result of a conspiracy involving Modi as a cold war was going on between them in the aftermath of the post-Godhra riots.
“There should be some basis for such speculation,” the bench said, adding that there should be some connecting link to justify such assumption.
Though, the bench declined to entertain the appeal filed against the Gujarat High Court order which had also rejected Vithal Bhai’s plea, it expressed its sympathy that a father had to come seeking justice in the case.
“We are very sorry that a father has to come here,” the bench said, adding that “anyone can visualise the feeling of a father”.
—Agencies