Two senior Gujarat cops in Gujarat, who are accused in the alleged fake encounter cases, resigned from their posts on Thursday.
The cops — NK Amin and Tarun Barot — are accused in Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case as well as alleged killing of Soharabuddin Sheikh. They tender resignation after an undertaking before the apex court that they will put in their papers.
Interestingly Amin was given post retirement assignment of Superintendent of Police at Southern Gujarat district Tapi. He retired in August 2016. Barot too was enjoying post retirement extension as Deputy Superintendent of Police with Western Railways at Vadodara. He retired in October 2016.
Retired IPS officer Rahul Sharma had challenged reappointment of both the cops by the Gujarat Government. Sharma in his petition had questioned the State Government for re-appointing Amin and Barot despite the fact both faced criminal charges.
The petitioner said that Amin had spent eight years in jail but he was immediately reinstated after his release. After hearing arguments from both the sides, a bench comprising Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud asked the cops to step down from their post.
It is worth mentioning that similarly another accused in the fake encounter case of Isharat Jahan, PP Pandey too was forced to resign from the post of Gujarat’s Director General of Police earlier this year.
In the year 2004, Mumbra girl Ishrat Jahan and three others were killed on the outskirts of Ahmedabad in an alleged fake encounter. The cops claimed that the four killed in encounter were members of terror outfit lashker-e- taiba and they came to Gujarat with a view to kill then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.