Zakia Jafri, crusader for justice in Gujarat Riots case, passes away
Ahmedabad: Zakia Jafri, the widow of former parliamentarian Ehsan Jafri, who was killed during the 2002 Gujarat riots, passed away on Saturday, February 1. She was widely known for her relentless fight for justice in connection with the communal violence that led to her husband's brutal killing.
Human rights activist Teesta Setalvad confirmed her passing on social media, posting on X, “Zakia Appa, a compassionate leader of the human rights community, passed away just 30 minutes ago!”
Zakia Jafri had been pursuing justice since 2006, when she filed a complaint alleging that the Gujarat police had failed to register FIRs against then Chief Minister Narendra Modi and several other BJP leaders for their alleged role in the anti-Muslim violence. Her legal battle gained momentum in 2008 when the Supreme Court directed a fresh probe into nine riot cases, including the Gulberg Society massacre, where Ehsan Jafri was among the victims. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was subsequently formed to examine her complaint.
In 2022, the Supreme Court dismissed her plea challenging the SIT's clean chit to Modi and other accused, effectively closing the legal battle she had fought for years.
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SC cancels bail to wrestler Sushil Kumar in murder case, orders surrender in a week
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday cancelled bail to Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar in the murder case of former junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankar at the Chhatrasal Stadium in the national capital.
A bench of justices Sanjay Karol and Prashant Kumar Mishra set aside the March 4 order of the Delhi High Court granting bail to the wrestler.
The wrestler has been asked to surrender within a week.
The top court's order came on an appeal filed by Ashok Dhankar, father of Sagar Dhankar, challenging the order passed by the Delhi High Court granting bail to Kumar.
Kumar and others are accused of fatally assaulting Sagar Dhankar in May 2021 over an alleged property dispute.
Two of Sagar Dhankar's friends were also injured in the assault.
According to the postmortem report, the victim suffered cerebral damage from the impact of a blunt object.
Kumar was arrested in May 2021 and a sessions court had granted him a week's interim bail for his knee surgery on July 19, 2023.
The trial court in October 2022 framed IPC charges, including murder, criminal conspiracy, intimidation and rioting with a deadly weapon against Kumar aside from the Arms Act, among others.
The trial court noted that after being abducted and brought to the stadium, Sagar Dhankar was severely assaulted by several accused persons with baseball and hockey sticks.
