Nanavati commission given one year extension

Gujarat government has given one year extension to Justice Nanavati and Justice Mehta Commission probing 2002 Godhra and post-Godhra communal riots, state government officials said on Thursday.

"The commission had asked for one year extension to submit its second part report which the government has granted," minister of state for Law Amit Shah told PTI.

He said that the commission's term has been extended till December 2009. The commission's term was ending on December 31, 2008.

This is the 11th extension the commission has been granted by the state government after it was constituted in 2002 following horrific communal riots in the state.

The Modi government had constituted a one-member inquiry commission headed by Justice K G Shah on March 2006. A large scale riots broke out in many parts of the state following torching of 59 'karsevaks' in Sabarmati train near Godhra railway station on February 26, 2002.

However, subsequently Justice Nanavati was appointed as the chairman of the commission.

The two-member inquiry commission headed by Justice G T Nanavati had submitted part one of the report regarding Godhra train burning incident which had killed 59 people and had triggered large scale communal riots in the state of Gujarat in 2002.

In the first part, the commission has observed in its report that there was a 'pre-planned conspiracy' to set the train on fire as 'kar sevaks' were travelling in it.