New Delhi: Registering its first case pertaining to the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat following a Supreme Court directive, CBI has booked three persons and some other unknown persons for allegedly gang-raping the sisters of a pregnant woman and murdering her relatives.

The investigating agency registered a case against Jaswant Nai, Govind Nai and Naresh Moriya under various sections of the Indian Penal Code including rape and murder, a CBI spokesman said in New Delhi today (Jan 7, 2004).

The case was registered as per the Supreme Court direction. A Bench of the apex court comprising Justice S Rajendra Babu, Justice AR Lakshmanan and Justice G P Mathur had directed the CBI on December 16 to inquire into the alleged rape case.

The Bench had directed CBI to file a status report of its probe within eight weeks from December 16.

According to the FIR, Bilkis Yakub alleged that when she, along with her relatives, was moving around village Panivela after the burning of train at Godhra, they were chased by a mob which beat them and raped her sisters.

She alleged that the mob also murdered some of her relatives, the FIR alleged.

Counsel for the victim, Harish Salve, had informed the court that Gujarat police had filed a closure report in the case on technical grounds despite clear information about the accused given in the FIR by the victim.