Saturday, September 24 2005 17:36 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ahmedabad: The Rashtrapati Bhavan has sought two weeks' time from Godhra Inquiry Commission to seek Centre's advice on submission of the correspondence between former President K R Narayanan and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in connection with the post-Godhra riots of 2002.

A letter received from the Rashtrapati Bhavan by the Godhra Inquiry Commission on September 21, 2005, states, "The stand taken on both the earlier occasions of claiming Privilege with respect to correspondence of the former President to the former Prime Minister regarding Sabarmati train carnage was done after due consultation with the Union Government."

The two-member Nanavati Commission probing the Godhra carnage and its aftermath had earlier urged Rashtrapati Bhavan to submit copies of the letters written by Narayanan to Vajpayee about the deployment of Army in Gujarat when riots broke out after 59 karsevaks were burnt alive on February 27.

Citing 'President's privilege', the Rashtrapati Bhavan on two previous occasions had refused to submit the letters to the Commission. The Commission on September 6 had rejected the claims of privilege and had instructed the letters to be produced before it.

"In this instance too, the observations made by the Commission in its order dated September 6, 2005 have been brought to the notice of the Union Government for its advice'', it said.

Rashtrapati Bhavan expressed its inability to meet the Commission's September 24 deadline and stated, "As soon as such advice is received and duly considered by the President, the same shall be communicated to the Commission''.

The letter also sought two weeks' time to submit a response on the matter. The Commission adjourned the hearing on the issue till October 14.

Meanwhile, advocate Mukul Sinha, representing a section of the riot-affected families told media persons, "For the first time we have come to know that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government was consulted on the privilege issue and we are all surprised that UPA is a party to the Rasthrapati Bhavan refusal. We thought the UPA Government wished to go into the depth of the whole issue.''

Sinha felt that the letters written by Naraynan to Vajpayee will surely reveal certain undisclosed facts about possible Government inaction during the post-Godhra riots.