JOIN USThe Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday questioned Gujarat Minister of State (MoS) for Law Pradeepsinh Jadeja in Gandhinagar regarding the Ishrat Jahan encounter case.
The agency grilled principal secretary to the Chief Minister’s Office G S Murmu and Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) A K Sharma on Saturday.
Sources said the agency may now summon senior cabinet minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasma, former MoS (Home) Praful Patel and Gujarat Advocate General Kamal Trivedi for interrogation.
Top echelons of the state found themselves in trouble after two pen drives, containing audio recordings of a November 2011 meeting, apparently attended by former IPS officer G S Singhal, an accused in the case, landed up. Ways to derail the investigation were discussed in the meeting, which were covertly recorded by Singhal.
He was arrested by the CBI in February and managed to get a default bail as the agency failed to file a charge sheet within the mandatory 90-day period. He then handed over the pen drives to the CBI. A 10-page transcript of the conversations were attached as document 162.
The CBI had also questioned former IPS officer and prime accused in the case, D G Vanzara, last week at the Sabarmati jail here, following his resignation letter.
They reportedly egged him on to record a statement before a magistrate under Section 164 of the CrPC, which would have had considerable evidentiary value.