Sunday, July 3 2005 11:23 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ahmedabad: The Godhra inquiry commission instructed Zaheera Sheikh, the controversial witness of Best Bakery case to be present before it for cross-examination on July 15.

The Nanavati-Shah Commission passed these instructions after Zaheera's advocate Atul Mistry informed telephonically to the Commission that his client would not be available for cross-examination owing to the flood situation in Vadodara city.

On this account, the probe panel told the witness to be present on July 15 for completion of her cross-examination by advocate Mukul Sinha of the "Jansangarsh Manch."

Sinha had called for her to be cross-examined as in her last appearance before the commission Zaheera had refused to reply to certain questions about the attack on the Best Bakery on March 1, 2002 during the post-Godhra communal riots.

Zaheera, who is already under the Supreme Court scrutiny for changing her version of the case twice and over allegations that she had taken money from two Vadodara-based politicians to lie in the Fast track court that conducted the trail of the case in Vadodara.

The Best Bakery case was transferred to a Mumbai court for re-trial after Fast Track court had acquitted all the 21 persons accused of murdering 14 persons in the bakery including some Zaheera's relatives.