Ishrat case: Details sought to declare Gujarat cop an absconder

AHMEDABAD: A special CBI court here today sought more details from the central investigation agency before passing an order declaring Gujarat IPS officer P P Pandey an absconder in the 2004 case relating to the killing of college student Ishrat Jahan and three others in a fake encounter in Gujarat.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) S H Khutwad asked CBI lawyer L D Tiwari to submit more details on their efforts to locate and trace Additional DGP (Crime) P P Pandey who has been evading arrest by CBI since a warrant was issued against him on May 2.

Earlier this month, CBI had filed an application before the court seeking that 1982-batch IPS officer Prithvipal PPandey be declared an absconder and also demanded action against him under Section 82 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

If Pandey is declared an absconder and a proclaimed offender under this provision, the investigating agency can attach his properties if he does not appear before the investigating officer of the case within 30 days of declaration.

After going through records submitted by CBI, the court pointed out that the agency has mentioned three places where they had tried to locate Pandey but was not given addresses of those places.

The court is likely to pass an order tomorrow on CBI's application.

Meanwhile, Pandey has sent a letter to the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate of the CBI court in which he has drawn the court's attention to the alleged "high handedness" and "partisan approach" of the agency in the investigation, sources present in the court said.

As per sources, Pandey has also sent a copy of that letter to the sessions court of CBI, expressing his anguish towards the central agency.