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IPS officer refutes allegations by Gujarat govt before CAT

Last Updated 12 August 2011, 06:44 IST

IPS officer Rajnish Rai, who has challenged his performance grading before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) here, today filed a rejoinder refuting allegations that he did not report progress in investigation in Sheikh Sohrabuddin fake encounter killing case to seniors.

Rai had approached CAT in April challenging the `average' grading and adverse remarks made in his Annual Confidential Report (ACR) for period between April 1, 2007, to August 22, 2007, when he was the investigating officer in Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter killing case.

He contends the adverse remark against him and his performance downgrading by the then reviewing authority DGP P C Pande (now retired) was a result of his actions in connection with the 2005 fake encounter case where he had arrested three IPS officers -- D G Vanzara, Rajkumar Pandiyan and Dinesh M N -- and other police officials.

In his rejoinder to the affidavits filed by the state government and by Pande, Rai has dismissed the charge that he did not report progress of the case to seniors, which had been cited as reason for lower grade.

In his over 50-page rejoinder, Rai has cited specific examples by giving a copy of the diary he was maintaining which contained signatures of both Pande and O P Mathur (who was then heading the state CID and was Rai's reporting authority).

Rai has claimed he had regularly informed both Mathur and Pande about the progress in the case.

Sohrabuddin was killed in a fake police encounter in November 2005 and later his wife Kausar Bi was also killed. Seventeen persons, including former Gujarat Minister Amit Shah and four IPS officers, are accused in the case.

Sohrabuddin's close aide Prajapati, a key witness to the killing, was also killed in another fake encounter with police in December 2006. Eleven police officers, including four IPS officers, are accused in that case.

Rai further stated in the rejoinder that allegations against him are utter lies. Mathur and Pande, he alleges, wanted to stall the probe into Sohrabuddin case and also that of Tulsi Prajapati killing.

Had he informed them (Pande and Mathur) earlier about arresting three IPS officers, they would have stopped him from carrying out the arrests, Rai has said.

Rai further alleged Pande's conduct sufficiently established his culpability in Prajapati case too.

He claimed Pande and Mathur wanted to delink the Sohrabuddin and Prajapati encounter cases as otherwise the gravity of the offence would have increased enormously.

Rai also alleged that Pande hid the truth from the Supreme Court (which was supervising probe in the Sohrabuddin case) by omitting the facts which were uncomfortable for him or for the state from the ATRs (Action Taken Reports) filed in the court.

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(Published 12 August 2011, 06:37 IST)

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