'Absconding' Gujarat ministers get bail

Three days after she was declared an absconder, Gujarat minister Maya Kodnani was on Thursday granted anticipatory bail by a local court in some post-Godhra riot cases of 2002 being probed afresh by a Supreme Court appointed the Special Investigating Team.

Former Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Jaideep Patel, who is also an accused like Maya in some of the cases and declared  an absconder, also got an anticipatory bail.

Kodnani, who is the minister of state for higher education, apparently remained elusive since February 2, with police reportedly not being able to trace her while her staff maintained she was on 'tour.'

Ahmedabad city sessions judge A K Aaswani gave some reprieve to the two saffron leaders for 90 days and they have been asked not to leave the country and to cooperate during the investigations.

The SIT had declared Kodnani and Patel as absconders in the Naroda Patia and Naroda Gram riot cases, which had caught nation's attention.

The court also instructed them not to enter the Naroda area of the city till the SIT files the chargesheet in the two cases.

The SIT had issued summons on January 29 and 31 to Kodnani but she failed to turn up, following which she was declared an absconder. Patel was also declared absconder after he did not respond to the SIT's summons.