BeyondHeadlines News Desk
New Delhi: The Supreme Court yesterday stayed the probe of Special Investigation Team (SIT) in Ishrat Jahan “fake encounter” case.
A bench comprising Justices B Sudershan Reddy and S S Nijjar stayed the probe till May 11 on the petition filed by one of the accused Girish Laxman Singhal, presently DCP, Vadodara, Gujarat, who contended that out of the three members of the SIT appointed by the Gujarat High Court only one is left and two other members Karnail Singh, former joint commissioner of police of Delhi, and Mohan Jha have already been relieved. Only Satish Verma is investigating the case.
Ishrat Jahan and her associates were allegedly gunned down by Gujarat police in 2004 claiming that they were the members of LeT and were planning terrorist strikes in the state.
The apex court has sought the response of the state of Gujarat and other respondents.
The SIT headed by IPS officer Karnal Singh and comprising two other Gujarat cadre officers — Mohan Jha and Satish Verma — was formed by the Gujarat High Court last year to probe the encounter of Mumbai-based Ishrat and three others by crime branch officials near Ahmedabad on June 15, 2004.
