SC dismisses review plea for reinvestigation into Mahatma Gandhi's assassination
New Delhi, Mar 4: The Supreme Court has found "no grounds" to recall its judgement rejecting the plea seeking reinvestigation into the alleged "larger conspiracy leading to" the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.
The apex court refused to take into account the plea in the review petition that claimed that "fresh" documents and evidence would clear the air in the matter.
"We have carefully gone through the review petition and the connected papers filed therewith. We do not find any ground, whatsoever, to entertain the same. The review petition is, accordingly dismissed," a bench comprising Justices S A Bobde and L N Rao said in a recent order.
Mumbai-based researcher Pankaj Phadnis had filed a petition asking the apex court to peruse some books and a forensic report of the photographs of wounds on the body of Gandhi to decide the need for fresh probe into his killing.
The Supreme Court had rejected his earlier plea for re-investigation into the assassination on March 28, 2018.
In the fresh plea, he had given reference from two book -- "Who Killed Gandhi" by Lourenco de Salvador written in 1963 and "India Remembered" by Pamella Mountbatten, daughter of the then Governor General Lord L. Mountbatten.
He had claimed that examination of the two books would lead to conclusion that the person/persons in the highest echelons of power, were "complicit" in the murder of Gandhi.
In the plea, he claimed that he had obtained a report of a well known expert in the United States who has categorically confirmed that four wounds were visible on the chest of Gandhi in the photograph obtained by him from the National Gandhi Museum, Delhi and which had been published on January 31, 1948 by a prominent newspaper and has been on display for the last 70 years in the museum.
Phadnis, who is also the trustee of Abhinav Bharat Charitable Trust, filed the petition seeking recall of the March 28 verdict by which the apex court had rejected his attempt to get the probe into Gandhi's death reopened, saying it would be an exercise in futile.
However, in his review petition, Phadnis claimed the apex court did not have the opportunity to examine the material which he had secured and further some of the facts he brought in the rejoinder affidavit were not considered.
The petitioner claimed that the apex court only relied on the submission of a senior advocate, who was appointed as amicus curiae in the matter, and his reply to the amicus' report was not taken into account.
Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948 and nine accused were tried for the conspiracy and murder. A trial court on February 10, 1949 convicted seven accused and acquitted one. One of the accused is absconding.
The petitioner had questioned the 'three bullet theory' relied upon by various courts to hold the conviction of Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte, who were hanged. He had contended that there was need to examine whether there was a fourth bullet, which was fired by someone other than Godse.
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was given benefit of doubt due to lack of evidence.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
