Gujarat riots: R.K. Raghavan relieved from heading SIT

The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the request of Special Investigation Team (SIT) chief R.K. Raghavan, who was probing the Gujarat riots cases, and relieved him from duty of heading the team.

An apex court bench headed by Chief Justice of India Jagdish Singh Khehar considered the submissions made by senior Supreme Court lawyer Harish Salve, who is assisting the court in the matter as amicus curiae that Raghavan be relieved from duty of heading the SIT.

Raghavan cited ill health as the reason. The apex court also relieved another member K. Venkatesan from the SIT.

Lauding the SIT for the progress made so far with regard to the Gujarat riots cases, the apex court asked its member A.K. Malhotra to oversee the functioning of the team and keep filing the quarterly progress report.

The matter will be next heard in July last week. The top court-appointed SIT has been probing nine major post-Godhra riots cases including the Naroda Gam riots case pertaining to the killing of eleven members of a community.

-ANI