The Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing some of the post-Godhra riot cases, is deliberating over innovative methods for the protection of witnesses during the trials.

Deliberations are on to finalise the plan for protection of witnesses when the trials begin in the (2002) riot cases, which will be conducted by the Fast Track Courts as directed by the Apex Court.

However, the process is still on and nothing has been decided as of now, SIT chairman and former CBI director R K Raghavan on Friday told PTI.

"There are some ideas that are being deliberated which include a helpline for witnesses. Another idea is changing the identity of the witnesses under extreme circumstances. But it will take some time to come up with concrete plan," he said.

Raghavan was in Gujarat early this week to deliberate with senior officers over witnesses' protection and related issues. He had said that providing protection to witnesses in various riot cases will be his top priority.

Another senior officer of the SIT said that normally protection is given to witness by assigning a guard to accompany the person.

The SIT is also pondering over idea of assigning a nodal officer to deal with complaints of witnesses once trials in the riot cases begin, SIT official said.