<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><script language="javascript">doweshowbellyad=0; </script><br />AHMEDABAD: Newly-appointed Union law minister H R Bharadwaj''s announcement about "repealing or amending Pota" could be bad news for the BJP-led Gujarat government which has used the law to book nearly 305 persons under it since the Godhra incident and post-Godhra riots.<br /></div> <div align="left" style="position:relative; left: -5"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="left" border="1" width="88.4%"> <colgroup> <col width="37.9%" /> <col width="13.6%" /> <col width="19.1%" /> <col width="29.0%" /> </colgroup> <tr valign="top"> <td width="37.9%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" b3b3b3=""> <div class="Normal"><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Top Ten Cases</span></div> </td> <td width="13.6%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" b3b3b3=""> <div class="Normal"><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Accused</span></div> </td> <td width="19.1%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" b3b3b3=""> <div class="Normal"><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">People Killed</span></div> </td> <td width="29.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" b3b3b3=""> <div class="Normal"><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Investigating Agency</span></div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="37.9%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">Godhra carnage</div> </td> <td width="13.6%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">131</div> </td> <td width="19.1%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">59</div> </td> <td width="29.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">SIT</div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="37.9%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">Waging war against the nation</div> </td> <td width="13.6%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">82</div> </td> <td width="19.1%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">None</div> </td> <td width="29.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">Crime Branch</div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="37.9%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">Haren Pandya murder</div> </td> <td width="13.6%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">19</div> </td> <td width="19.1%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">1</div> </td> <td width="29.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">CBI</div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="37.9%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">Tiffin blasts (5 cases)</div> </td> <td width="13.6%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">21</div> </td> <td width="19.1%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">None</div> </td> <td width="29.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">Crime Branch</div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="37.9%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">Akshardham </div> </td> <td width="13.6%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">15</div> </td> <td width="19.1%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">33</div> </td> <td width="29.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">Crime Branch</div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="37.9%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">Hasmukh Lalwala case</div> </td> <td width="13.6%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">34</div> </td> <td width="19.1%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">None</div> </td> <td width="29.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">Surat city</div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="37.9%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">Conspiracy to kill <br />Ashok Bhatt, Bharat Barot</div> </td> <td width="13.6%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">13</div> </td> <td width="19.1%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">None </div> </td> <td width="29.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">Crime Branch</div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="37.9%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">Memco scooter blast</div> </td> <td width="13.6%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">10</div> </td> <td width="19.1%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">None</div> </td> <td width="29.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">Crime Branch</div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="37.9%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">Attempt on VHP leader <br />Jaydeep Patel</div> </td> <td width="13.6%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">7</div> </td> <td width="19.1%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">None</div> </td> <td width="29.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">Ahmedabad Police</div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="37.9%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">Hawala case (Patel Online)</div> </td> <td width="13.6%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">6</div> </td> <td width="19.1%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">None</div> </td> <td width="29.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" e6e6e6=""> <div class="Normal">Crime Branch</div> </td> </tr> </table></div> <div class="Normal"><br />Of these, only eight are Hindus, the rest Muslims.
If the cases are reviewed, ironically the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), set up to counter terrorist and anti-national activities, could invite some "back-patting" because it has not booked a single case under this draconian law so far.<br /></div> </div><div class="section2"><div class="Normal"><br />Interestingly, the high-profile Ahmedabad city Crime Branch (CB) has booked 10 of the 14 Pota cases, while the CBI booked two, including in the Haren Pandya murder case which has Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Shakeel named as absconders. <br /><br />The Godhra carnage case, which is Gujarat''s first and biggest Pota case with 131 accused, may be first case of its kind in the country to use the law when it was only an ordinance.<br /><br />The Modi government booked some 47 persons, including minors, under Pota in March 2002 soon after the incident on February 27, only to withdraw it after the issue was raked up in Parliament.<br /><br />The other, which had all the ingredients of terrorism, is the Akshardham terror-attack of September 2002 in which 33 persons were killed. Just when it was about to be cracked, the case was transferred from the ATS to the Ahmedabad CB which promptly invoked Pota in the case.<br /><br />The other cases added are the Memco scooter blast case which has two Akshardham accused, the Patel Online hawala case which has four Hindus as accused, and the attempt on the<br />lives of law minister Ashok Bhatt and BJP MLA Bharat Barot.<br /><br />In-charge director general of police A K Bhargav says, "A case should be fit enough to invoke Pota. And in any case, even if it is repealed, there is no retrospective effect."<br /><br />Till date, only the Pandya case has been put before the Pota review committee in Delhi. But with DMK leader and Pota-detenue Vaiko''s release, Pota could come under the scanner, with DMK being an alliance partner of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government.<br /><br />Ahmedabad-based human rights lawyer Mukul Sinha has already demanded that the long-constituted state-level Pota review committee be made functional with immediate effect.<br /><br />High Court lawyer Hashim Qureshi says, "Instead of repealing, Pota should be invoked on riot cases like Gulbarg and Naroda-Patia massacres so that the BJP is compelled to demand its repealing."<br /><br />Interestingly, of the eight Hindus booked under Pota, Liversingh Tej Singh Sikligar, booked for the attempt on the life of Surat lawyer Hasmukh Lalwala, died in police custody in Surat a year ago.<br /><br />Two others, Ganesh Khote and Mahesh Jadhav, booked posthumously in a conspiracy to kill Bhatt and Barot, were killed in an encounter by CB sleuths. Pota has been invoked in 14 cases of which 20-odd accused have been booked in three cases — the overarching conspiracy case booked by the Ahmedabad crime branch, the Pandya case and the Jagdish Tiwari case which were chargesheeted together.<br /><br /></div> </div>
