Monday, May 9 2005 09:45 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Government is scheduled to file its reply today (May 9, 2005) in connection with the petition filed by Additional Director General (ADG) of police R B Sreekumar before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) challenging the Government's decision to supersede him for "speaking out" against its handling of the post-Godhra communal riots.

Following Sreekumar's 206-page petition and explosive submissions on April 12, the CAT had issued notices returnable today to Chief Minister Narendra Modi and a five senior bureaucrats who were part of the Government machinery during the post-Godhra communal riots.

Though Government officials are tightlipped about the petition and its likely response to Sreekumar's allegations, sources said that the State Government is likely to seek further time from CAT to file its replies.

Sreekumar was the State Intelligence Bureau chief during the post-Godhra riots and was transferred in September 2002 after he had submitted a report to the national Minorities Commission regarding the utterances of Modi against minorities during his Gaurav yatra.

Challenging his super-session in the recent transfers of senior IPS officials, Sreekumar filed this affidavit and also annexed a copy of his semi-official 'diary' in which he had jotted down 'illegal' instructions passed to him by Modi and his bureaucrats to 'eliminate' minorities and ignore the activities of the Sangh Parivar.

In the diary Sreekumar also revealed how Modi issued instructions to keep a watch and tap phones of the then State Congress chief Shankersinh Vaghela and his own former Cabinet Minister Haren Pandya.

Sreekumar had also given explosive statements while deposing before the two-man Godhra inquiry panel and he says it was after this the State Government started victimising him by issuing memo's and raking up old case against him.

Modi himself has maintained a stoic silence on the whole issue while the State Government has also rubbished the contents and allegations of Sreekumar's diary.