Ahmedabad, July 24 (IANS): The Gujarat High COurt Friday dismissed a petition seeking a stay on a probe by a Supreme Court-appointed panel against Chief Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet colleagues for their alleged role in the 2002 communal violence in the state.

The court dismissed the petition by former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Kalu Maliwad and said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe against Modi, his cabinet colleagues and senior officials would continue.

The petitioner had argued that the Supreme Court had not provided absolute powers to the SIT for taking up the complaint of Zakia Jafri, widow of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, who was killed by rioters in Gulbarg Society here.

Jafri in her complaint before the apex court had alleged that Modi was in touch with his cabinet colleagues and police and administration officials when violence was raging on in Ahmedabad and other parts of the state.

The high court earlier denied a stay on the probe and had reserved its ruling on Maliwad's petition.

A senior SIT official said: "The probe (against Modi and others) is already under way as per the Supreme Court orders. This is part of the entire investigation exercise taken up as per the apex court orders."

The communal violence started after a coach of the Sabarmati Express was set on fire in Godhra, about 140 km from here, on Feb 27, 2002, killing 59 Hindus. The subsequent sectarian strife across the state killed 1,169 people, most of them Muslims.

Rights organisations have accused the Modi government of bias in handling the situation. The SIT has been formed to investigate select cases of large-scale violence and massacres, including the one at Gulbarg Society in east Ahmedabad on Feb 28, 2002.

At least 39 people including Jafri were killed when a large mob attacked the colony and set houses on fire.