Ishrat Jahan encounter: Vanzara, Amin want case dropped

As first reported by DH, the CBI on Tuesday submitted the letter written by the Gujarat government denying the sanction to prosecute ex IPS officer D G Vanzara and ex-Superintendent of Police Narendra Amin in Ishrat Jahan Encounter case.

The CBI submitted the letters in the court of special judge J K Pandya who said the sanction has been denied by the government. Following this, advocate V D Gajjar, who appeared for Vanzara, requested to drop the proceedings in absence of sanction under section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Under this section, a prior sanction is required to prosecute government servants.

According to the CBI charge sheet, 19-year-old Mumbai college girl Ishrat Jahan, her friend Pranesh Pillai alias Javed Shaikh and two alleged Pakistani nationals - Amjad Ali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed jointly by Gujarat police and Intelligence Bureau officers in cold blood.

The CBI probe established that they were kidnapped and then murdered on June 14, 2004, in the outskirts of Ahmedabad. They were branded as Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives out to kill the then-chief minister Narendra Modi and other right-wing leaders.

Apart from Vanzara and Amin, IPS officer GL Singhal, retired Deputy Superintendent of police Tarun Barot among others are key accused in the case. The senior most accused IPS P P Pandey was discharged by the court.