Will see evidence against IB officer in Ishrat case: Home Secy

Amid a tussle between IB and CBI over action against Intelligence Bureau's special director Rajendra Kumar in Ishrat Jahan case, new Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami today said he will see whether there was enough evidence to prosecute the senior IPS officer.
"I will see what evidence is available. I will see the documents," he told reporters here after taking charge as Union Home Secretary.
He was replying to a question whether the CBI has enough evidence to prosecute Kumar for his suspected role in the conspiracy to carry out the alleged fake encounter in which Ishrat Jahan and three others were killed in Gujarat nine years ago.

Last week, a senior Home Ministry official said that CBI had shared with the Ministry evidence against the special director of IB after which the ministry told CBI that this does not show that Kumar was part of the conspiracy.
The Home Ministry has so far maintained that the evidence against Kumar was not sufficient to give sanction to CBI to prosecute Kumar in the alleged fake encounter case.
The CBI has not yet sought sanction from the Home Ministry, which is the cadre controlling authority of IPS officers, to prosecute Kumar.

Officials said CBI was planning prosecute and arrest Kumar after his retirement from service on July 31, without asking of sanction from the Home Ministry.

But CBI sources have been maintaining that they do not need sanction from the Home Ministry to prosecute Kumar as the case is of alleged fake encounter and not connected with duties of any government officer.
CBI sources said even in some case of alleged fake encounters in Punjab which were probed by the agency, no sanction for prosecution was needed.