Ishrat Jahan encounter case: Hearing on Vanzara's bail plea adjourned

AHMEDABAD: Hearing on the bail application of D G Vanzara, a former IPS officer who is an accused in the 2004 Ishrat Jahan encounter case, was today adjourned by the special CBI court here after CBI sought time to file its reply.

Special Judge Gita Gopi adjourned hearing to February 25. Meanwhile, Vanzara's lawyer V D Gajjar today sought a copy of the supplementary chargesheet filed by the CBI last week from the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate H S Khutwad.

However, the magistrate told Gajjar that the chargesheet was yet to be verified, hence the copy could not be given.

Gajjar had contended that as cognisance had already been taken against Vanzara (he was named in the first chargesheet), he needs a copy to make his case for bail strong.

Nearly a decade after Ishrat was allegedly murdered along with her friend Javed Sheikh alias Pranesh Pillai and two others in a fake encounter, CBI last week filed a supplementary chargesheet naming Rajinder Kumar, who was then joint director of the Intelligence Bureau in Gujarat.

Kumar has been charged with Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy), Section 302 (murder) and other sections of the Indian Penal Code, besides various provisions of the Arms Act.

Others named in the chargesheet are serving IB officers T Mittal, M K Sinha and Rajiv Wankhede, who have been booked for criminal conspiracy, wrongful confinement, kidnapping and wrongful concealment, besides under the Arms Act.

The first chargesheet named IPS officer G L Singhal, suspended IPS officers P P Pandey, Tarun Barot and N K Amin, besides Vanzara. It also named retired DSP J G Parmar and commando Anaju Chaudhary.