Slightly Disappointed Over Acquittals: Former CBI Director

RK Raghavan headed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe cases including the Gulbarg Society massacre.

Family members wave to the Gulbarg Society massacre case convicts as they are taken away in van, after the verdict on the case by a special SIT court in Ahmedabad. (Photo: PTI)

Former CBI Director RK Raghavan, who headed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe cases including the Gulbarg Society massacre, on Thursday expressed disappointment over the acquittals, and said they would decide whether to appeal against the dropping of conspiracy charges against all the accused.

“I am slightly disappointed over acquittals. That’s the part of the game and you can’t be winning all the time. I am neither ecstatic nor frustrated. I’ll take it in my stride,” he said.

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Raghavan said he did his best as an investigating officer by placing facts before the court but it refused to buy his story, saying that ultimately it is for the court to make a decision.

About dropping of the charge of criminal conspiracy against all the accused under section 120 B of the IPC, Raghavan said, “We did include Section 120 B which defines criminal conspiracy in our chargesheet for a valid reason. But the court decided otherwise and I cannot comment on this aspect of the verdict before reading it.”

“I am sure the court has spelt out reasons why there is no conspiracy. The judiciary should not agree with whatever we say. If we are not convinced with the rationale adopted by the judge then we will examine it and remit it through good legal authority/prosecutors and then decide if an appeal is possible,” Raghavan said.