Thursday, 2 May 2013

Court orders arrest warrant against missing Gujarat cop linked to Ishrat Jehan case

AhmedabadA CBI court in Ahmedabad has ordered a lower court to issue an arrest warrant against a senior Gujarat police officer who is accused of killing Mumbai student Ishrat Jehan and three others in a fake encounter in 2004. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) says the officer, PP Pande, has gone underground and is being protected by the state government, which says it does not know where the cop is.

Mr Pande is currently serving as an Additional Director General (ADG) in the Gujarat Police. At the time of Ishrat's encounter, cops, including him, had then claimed that the four were terrorists who were planning to assassinate Chief Minister Narendra Modi.  

Later enquiries established that the police had lied, and had shot the group in the hope of being rewarded with medals and promotions. The CBI was asked to take over the case in December 2011. The agency says it has been trying to interrogate Mr Pande, but can't locate him. The state government has reportedly told the agency that ADG Pande has been on sick leave for a week.


A lower court had rejected the CBI's request to sanction an arrest warrant for the policeman. The agency then filed a review petition in the Special CBI Court against the lower court's order. A decision on that petition today went in favour of the CBI.


http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/court-orders-arrest-warrant-against-missing-gujarat-cop-linked-to-ishrat-jehan-case-361707?pfrom=home-india


Special Judge Gita Gopi set aside the order of ACJM that had rejected CBI's plea to issue the warrant. The ACJM H S Khutwad had rejected CBI's application by saying, "the investigative officer has power to arrest if he wishes as the offence is cognisable one. Further in support of the application I don't find any justified circumstances or record to allow the present application and issue warrant as projected." However, judge Gita Gopi observed that "The order passed by learned ACJM is found illegal and incorrect. It is against the provision of law, thus, required to be set aside." "The judicial discretion which has been exercised is arbitrary and perverse and thus, the revisionist (CBI) has succeeded to bring to notice of this court that the interference is necessary in the interest of justice... The ACJM is directed to issue warrant of arrest," the judge has observed in the order.

Pandey who has ducked CBI notices twice (April 22 and April 24) is an accused in the fake encounter case where the Khalsa college girl from Mumbra, Ishrat Jahan was killed with her friend Pranesh Pillai alias Javed Sheikh and two others, Zeeshan Johar and Amjad Ali Rana on June 15, 2004. He is now posted as an Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) in the CID (crime). The CBI has already arrested six police officials in the case including IPS officers G L Singhal, DSP Tarun Barot among others. They have all been charged of illegal confinement, conspiracy and murder of the four alleged LeT operatives.
- See more at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ishrat-jahan-encounter-court-clears-way-for-gujarat-top-cops-arrest/1110528/#sthash.uMZROe4Y.dpuf

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