A day after the resignation of PP Pandey as Gujarat police chief, 1982-batch IPS officer Geetha Johri has taken over as the State’s first woman DGP following a decision taken during a cabinet meeting in Gandhinagar on Tuesday.
Sixty-year-old Johri was one of the accused in Soharabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case. However, charges against her were dropped by a special CBI court later on.
Over the last two years she has been serving as Managing Director of the Gujarat State Police Housing Board. She is retiring at the end of the year 2017.
Before she retires, ensuing Gujarat Assembly polls will be over and a new Government would take charge. In addition to DGP’s charge, Johri would also hold the charge of Gujarat Police Housing Board as Managing Director.
Despite being a female police officer, she raided mafia don Abdul latif’s hideout in 1992 and arrested his close aide Sharif Khan. Johri was promoted to the rank of DGP couple of years back in April 2015 considering her seniority.
Johri succeeded PP Pandey after he stepped down from the top in lines with the Supreme Court directive that came in connection with a PIl challenging his appointment.
Julio Ribeiro, who played instrumental role in curbing terrorism in Punjab in mid-eighties, filed PIl against Pandey’s appointment because he is one of the accused in the much talked about Ishrat Jahan and three other fake encounters cases.
The encounter took place on June 15, 2004. According to Gujarat police 19-year-old Ishrat Jahan and three others were lashkar terrorists and came to Gujarat to assassinate then Chief Minsiter Narendra Modi.
In the alleged fake encounter case, Pandey has been charged, along with other Gujarat cops, with conspiracy, illegal confinement and murder by the CBI.