New Delhi, Feb 12 (NIE): The Supreme Court on Monday referred the hearing on a plea, which challenged the clean chit by an SIT to Gujarat political leaders including then chief minister Narendra Modi post the 2002 Godhra riots, till after the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and Ajay Rastogi listed the matter in July after senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Zakia Jafri – the widow of slain Congress MP Ehsan Jafri – said there was “no urgency in the matter”, and urged the court to take it up in July after the general election.

The bench said it was up to the petitioners and said that “at the request of senior advocate Kapil Sibal, for the petitioners, hearing is deferred. List on a non-miscellaneous day in July, 2019, as requested”.

Jafri has challenged the October 5, 2017 judgement of the Gujarat High Court upholding the order of a Magistrate accepting the closure report filed by the Supreme Court-appointed SIT to probe the violence during the riots.