Godhra riots SIT judge M.K. Dave transferred

Gandhinagar March 8 (IANS) M.K. Dave, the special SIT judge hearing the 2002 Naroda Gam riot case, has been transferred and made the principal District Judge of Valsad by an order of the Gujarat High Court. He is replaced by S.K. Baxi, the principal District Judge, Bhavnagar.The Naroda riots case is one in which 11 Muslims were killed during post Godhra riots in Gujarat and in which former BJP minister Maya Kodnani is an accused.The notification of the transfer was issued by the Gujarat High Court on Friday.The hearings of the Naroda Gam riots case are about to end. Even the arguments by the prosecution have also ended. Accused BJP leader and former MLA and minister Kodnani's lawyer had started his arguments in the case last week.The Naroda Gam massacre is one of the nine major riot cases investigated by the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT). The riots had broken out following the call for a 'Gujarat Bandh' to protest the Godhra train carnage.Kodnani, one of the 82 accused in the case, was Minister for Women and Child Development in then Chief Minister Narendra Modi's government.
--IANS amc/vd