The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the challenge to the Special Investigation Team’s finding that there was no “larger conspiracy” behind the 2002 Gujarat riots. The bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and C T Ravikumar agreed with the SIT’s conclusion that the riots were spontaneous and not part of a planned event. The court also upheld the SIT’s report and rejected the protest petition filed by Jafri, whose husband was killed during the riots.

The court praised the SIT for its sincere and objective investigation, and expressed strong displeasure at the attempts to create false sensational claims. It also pointed out that the proceedings had been pursued for 16 years with ulterior motives, and that those involved in the abuse of the legal process should be held accountable.

The court rejected the allegations of a larger conspiracy at the highest level, stating that there was no strong or grave suspicion to support such claims. It also dismissed claims of inaction by the state, emphasizing the efforts made by the administration to control the violence.

The court highlighted the lack of evidence to support the alleged larger conspiracy, and refuted contentions regarding communal mobilization and stockpiling of weapons before the Godhra incident. It concluded that there was no material to create suspicion of a meeting of minds at any level for hatching a larger criminal conspiracy.

In summary, the Supreme Court upheld the SIT’s findings and dismissed the claims of a larger conspiracy behind the 2002 Gujarat riots. It emphasized the lack of evidence to support such claims and praised the SIT for its thorough investigation.