Ahmedabad, March 29: The Nanavati-Shah commission today took a serious view of the Centre’s “reluctance’’ to hand over K.R. Narayanan’s Godhra riot letters to then Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee, saying it “will be free to draw adverse inference’’.

Reacting sharply to what it called the “irresponsible attitude of the Centre’’, Justice G.T. Nanavati said it was clear that the Centre was reluctant to produce the former President’s letters.

“We see no justifiable reason for non-production of those letters or their relevant portions as (the) Union government has failed to point out how its production will adversely affect the security of the state or public interest or smooth administrative functioning of the government,” the commission said.

“Taking note of this unreasonable stand and reluctance of the Union government... it will now be open to the commission to draw its own inferences with respect to (the President’s) letters,” the panel added.