Excavation of bodies: High Court vacates stay on FIR

They had demanded either to quash the FIR or to order a CBI probe in the matter. The HC had stayed the police investigation in the case during the pendency of the petition filed in 2006. The petitioners have been identified as Mehboob Khan and Rasool Shaikh.

The Panchmahals police had booked Rais Khan,a former associate of activist Teesta Setalvad and some others for unauthorised digging at the spot in January 2006. Khan has now parted ways with Setalvad.

The bodies were of the 28 riot victims from the nearby Panderwada village which were never claimed by anyone,and authorities had,as a last resort,buried them at the spot.

The accused had excavated the skeletons from the site in the presence of the media without taking permission from the authorities. The police had registered a case in this connection at the Lunavada police station.

Initially,the police had carried out a preliminary investigation in the case. The HC had stayed the investigation after the filing of the petition.

Special Public Prosecutor for the state government J M Panchal said that on Wednesday Khan and Shaikh opted to withdraw the petition.

“Following this,the stay on the police investigation on the FIR is vacated. So,further police investigation is likely to follow now,” Panchal added.