Ahmedabad: A Special CBI Court on Thursday ordered the issuance of arrest warrant against top Gujarat police officer PP Pande, an accused in the 2004 alleged fake encounter of Mumbai teenager Ishrat Jahan and three others. The 1980-batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre is currently Additional DGP (Crime) and he was Ahmedabad's Joint Commissioner of Police at the time of the encounter.
Judge Gita Gopi, while granting the prayer of issuing warrant on a revision application filed by CBI, held that "looking at the circumstances of the case, the court's interference is necessary in the interest of justice." Setting aside the order of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM), Ahmedabad, rejecting the CBI plea seeking arrest warrant against Pande, the Judge observed, "there is apparent error in the order under revision. Observations made in the order are not in compliance with the provisions of law and that order is found (to be) illegal and incorrect."
On April 25, ACJM SH Khutwad, while rejecting the CBI plea, had held, "Investigating Officer has powers to arrest, if he wishes, as offence alleged is a cognisable offence." In its revision application praying for issuance of arrest warrant against Pande under CrPC Section 73 (warrant may be directed to any person), CBI had claimed the IPS officer has been evading CBI and it has become necessary for the agency to seek court's help to take him in custody.
"We issued two summons, on April 22 and 24 respectively, but he
06:34 PM, May 02, 2013
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has stayed investigations into the Ishrat Jahan encounter case. The investigations were stayed after Indian Police Service officer GL Singhal, filed a petition in the apex court saying Ishrat Jahan case was to be investigated by a team and now that only one officer is left in the team, the SIT will have to be reconstituted. The Gujarat High Court-appointed SIT has just one investigating...
03:47 PM, May 03, 2011
