Appearing as a defence witness in a Gujarat riots case against the prime accused and former state minister Maya Kodnani, BJP President Amit Shah on Monday told a sessions court in Ahmedabad that the former was not present in Naroda Gam on the day riots broke out.
Shah stated that Kodnani was not present in Naroda Gam, and was instead inside the state Assembly at 08:30 am, adding that he met her at the Civil Hospital from 09:30 am to 09:45 am.
Kodnani had also said that on February 28, 2002, she was in the state Assembly and then went straight to a hospital that she ran in Ahmedabad. She had claimed that Amit Shah was also present at the hospital.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) court is hearing the 2002 Naroda Gam riot case, which 11 Muslims were killed during the state-wide communal riots, after a train was allegedly burnt by Muslims in Godhra.
Shah was issued summons after Kodnani’s counsel informed the court that he was inaccessible. Kodnani had failed twice to give the address to which the summons to Shah were to be issued. She was given four-day time to find out the address.
The BJP President is among the list of 14 defence witnesses summoned by the court. Of these, 12 have already given their testimony while the thirteenth was not examined as a witness.
