Summary:
The high court has made it clear that the delay in recording the statements was the result of Gujarat Police’s failure to investigate the case properly.The high court observed that the delay was not the fault of the witnesses. AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court on Friday chastised Gujarat Police for its lackadaisical investigation of the Naroda Patia massacre case, which had led the Supreme Court to transfer the probe to the special investigation team (SIT) in 2008.The fresh probe by the SIT made defence advocates question the credibility of witness statements. “It was due to the reluctant investigating agencies which whiled away time in recording statements,” the court said.The high court also took notice of the fact that various NGOs became involved in the process of securing justice for the victims and their endeavour to get the statements recorded before the newly appointed SIT. But the court mentioned that the witnesses who turned up before the SIT in 2008 had not been directly affected by the violence.The court observed that it was hazardous to completely rely on the statements that were recorded six-and-half years after the incident..