Godhra probe: Mukul Sinha was virtually man in charge

Right from the day the Justice Nanavati-Shah commission was constituted in 2002, there was one lawyer who conducted it directing its course of investigation.

Gujarat High Court advocate Mukul Sinha of Jan Sangharsh Manch (JSM), a former scientist with Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) turned lawyer, brought out most of the facts of Godhra carnage and post-Godhra riots in the course of his cross examinations of witnesses.

Towards the end of the Godhra case hearings, he also gave a presentation on the mechanism to stop a train and what could have actually happened on that fateful day at Godhra.

Explaining this monopoly of advocates of human rights in the commission, Justice GT Nanavati says in the report, "No counsel for the commission could be appointed because of some difficulties. That was also a reason why the said indulgence was granted by the commission to the parties".

Incidentally, the Congress party was the least proactive in the commission. First it was represented by veteran HC lawyer Maganbhai Barot and then after a long gap, Congress put up two new lawyers, Hiralal Gupta and Jagrupsinh Rajput, who did not make any significant impact.

The other advocates were SH Qureshi who represented Central Relief Committee and MH Daymakumar for Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, who stopped coming after the post-Godhra hearings. The state government sent a battery of eight lawyers, by turns, to the commission while VHP had eight on board.

(Source)