Former executive magistrate (mamlatdar) of Godhra has told a designated court hearing 2002 Naroda Gam riot case that his seniors ordered him to prepare a letter to hand over the bodies of Godhra victims to VHP leader Jaideep Patel, reported The Indian Express.

PTI reports that appearing before the court on Wednesday, M L Nalvaya, who is currently sub-divisional magistrate in Dahod, also said that Patel, also an accused in the riot case, was in Godhra a day before the riot.

More than 50 people, mostly kar sevaks returning from Ayodhya, were killed in a fire inside Sabarmati Express train near Godhra railway station in Gujarat on February 27, 2002. The incident triggered riots in the state and 11 Muslims were killed in Naroda Gam on February 28. There are 82 accused in the case, including Patel and former Gujarat minister Maya Kodnani.

The bodies of kar sevaks were brought to Ahmedabad from Godhra and were handed over to the relatives in full public glare.

On being cross-examined by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) which probed the case, Nalvaya said the letter drafted by him was not signed by Patel and was handed over to someone else. He also said he did not know Patel and had never met him, The Indian Express report adds. According to the SIT, the letter does not have any signature acknowledging that the bodies had been received, it says.

DNA reports that submitting a Xerox copy of the records, Nalvaya told the court he did not know where the original records were. Defence lawyer of Patel, Chetan K Shah, requested the court to place the Xerox copy on record citing the SC judgement in the Bipin Shantilal v/s Gujarat state case. However, the court turned down his plea, the report adds.

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