Justice Akshay Mehta appointed on Nanavati Commission

Ahmedabad (PTI): The Gujarat government on Tuesday appointed the High Court's retired judge Justice Akshay Mehta as a member of the Nanavati Commission probing Godhra train carnage and post-Godhra riots in place of Justice K G Shah who died recently.
Justice Mehta has served as a Judge in the Gujarat High Court for seven years and retired in December 2007.
Justice Shah, who was the second member of the two-member Commission, died last month.
The Commission was constituted by Gujarat government in 2002 after the post-Godhra riots in 2002.
Initially Justice K G Shah was appointed on the Commission to probe Godhra train carnage. Later, the state government appointed Justice G T Nanavati as the head of the Commission and also widened the scope of inquiry by including post-Godhra riot cases.
The Commission has been conducting the hearing for the last six years.
With the death of Shah, lawyers assocatied with the Commission feared that the final report of the Commission might be further delayed.
With the appointment of Justice Mehta, hearing by the Commission is likely to restart soon, lawyers hoped.
THE HINDU; Tuesday, April 8, 2008