SC to hear plea to re-probe Haren Pandya's murder

The Supreme Court on Friday referred a plea by an NGO for re-investigation into the murder of then Gujarat home minister Haren Pandya to a bench which had heard and reserved its judgement on CBI's appeal against the acquittal of all the accused.

A bench of Justices A K Sikri and S Abdul Nazeer said that an appeal arising out of this case has been already heard by a different bench.

"It will be appropriate if the same bench hears this petition," the bench said and posted the matter for hearing on February 11.

The bench presided over by Justice Arun Mishra had on January 31 reserved its verdict in the appeal by the CBI against Gujarat High Court's acquittal of all the accused.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner NGO CPIL said that new facts have surfaced after the trial and re-investigation needs to be ordered.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre questioned the locus of the petition in the case.

The NGO had moved the apex court last month seeking a court-monitored investigation into the murder.

Pandya was a minister of state for home in the then Narendra Modi government in Gujarat. He was shot dead on March 26, 2003, in Ahmedabad near Law Garden area of the city during his morning walk.

The petition claimed that new pieces of information have come to light indicating possibility of IPS officers including D G Vanzara having been involved in the conspiracy to kill Pandya, besides senior functionaries of the police as well as political figures.

It cited a testimony of a witness in Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case wherein it was reportedly revealed that Pandya was murdered as a part of a contract killing.

"He reveals that Sohrabuddin's associate Tulsiram Prajapati along with two others had murdered Pandya as part of that contract. In his deposition he mentions that he had already given this information to CBI in 2010," the plea claimed.