IPS officer again seeks charge sheets in Ishrat Jahan case

IPS officer Satish Verma, who had probed the 2004 Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case, today filed fresh applications in courts here seeking copies of two charge sheets to "expedite" the trial in the case.
He filed the applications in the courts of the special (sessions) judge for CBI cases and an additional chief judicial magistrate for CBI cases. Both the applications are likely to come up for hearing next week.
The special court had earlier rejected his application seeking to inspect a supplementary charge sheet on the ground that it itself had not taken cognisance of that charge sheet.
The court, however, allowed him to have a copy of the first charge sheet, a ruling which CBI challenged in the Gujarat High Court.

In June, the HC denied Verma relief on the ground that he did not file a detailed affidavit with his application.
The first charge sheet was filed in the special court in July 2013 and the supplementary charge sheet was filed in ACJM court in February 2014.

Proceedings against those named in the supplementary charge sheet -- four IB officers -- have not started because the Union Law Ministry has not sanctioned their prosecution.
Verma has said he wants access to charge sheets as he wants to challenge the lack of sanction and expedite the trial.
Ishrat, a 19-year-old Mumbra-based girl, Javed Shaikh alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjadali Akbarali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed in an alleged fake encounter with police on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on June 15, 2004.

The first charge sheet named seven officers of Gujarat police, including IPS officer D G Vanzara.
Verma, a Gujarat-cadre IPS officer, is now serving on central deputation in the North East. He was a member of the SIT constituted by the high court to investigate Ishrat case. SIT had concluded that it was a fake encounter, following which the HC transferred the case to CBI.
Verma had assisted CBI in the investigation.