Ahmedabad: Accused in the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case, Gujarat IPS officer PP Pandey appeared before the additional chief judicial magistrate in a CBI court on Wednesday. Although the High Court passed an order that Pandey cannot be arrested till August 6, he can be taken into judicial custody as his proclamation and arrest warrant are both in effect.
He was granted a two-day anticipatory bail on Monday after making a dramatic entry into a special CBI court on a stretcher. The trial court will hear his plea to quash an FIR against him.
Pandey has not attended office since February and he was directed by the Supreme Court to appear before the court on Monday. The apex court had on Friday had restrained the CBI from arresting the officer as decision on his appeal was still pending.
Pandey was chargesheeted by the CBI accusing him of being part of the conspiracy to eliminate Ishrat Jahan and three others. The CBI failed to trace him after Pandey went on a long leave. The agency then approached the court to declare him an absconder.
Pandey was Joint Commissioner of Police when on June 15, 2004 Ishrat Jahan, Javed Shaikh alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjadali Akbarali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed in an encounter with the Gujarat Police on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.
A day before the encounter, Pandey, along with suspended IPS officer DG Vanzara and IB officer Rajinder Kumar allegedly planned details of how the killing will take place. As head of the Crime Branch that carried out the operation, Pandey allegedly directly supervised actions of Vanzara and others, and even directed how the first FIR must be filed before the encounter.
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