In a major blow to absconding Additional Director-General of Police PP Pandey, the Gujarat High Court on Monday dismissed his petition seeking quashing of a FIR against him in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case. The court also declared the Gujarat cadre IPS officer an absconder in the case.
last month, the special CBI court passed an order announcing Gujarat’s Additional DGP (Crime) an absconder under Section 82 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CRPC). Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate HS Khutwad gave the ruling in the 2004 encounter case of Ishrat and three others and directed Pandey to appear before the court by July 31 to avoid further action. After issuance of warrant for his arrest, Pandey moved the High Court seeking quashing of the FIR filed against him by the CBI in the case.
Earlier, he also moved the Supreme Court for quashing of the FIR against him and seeking relief against his arrest. However, the apex court, on June 11 rejected his petition and asked him to seek relief from the Gujarat High Court. On May 2 the CBI filed an application before the Special Court to proclaim the cop an absconder on the ground that he was evading arrest despite a warrant issued by the court.
The 1982-batch IPS officer allegedly provided “so-called crucial Intelligence inputs” to fellow policemen that Ishrat and three others were leT operatives and were on a mission to assassinate the Gujarat CM. Pandey was JCP when Ishrat Jahan, Javed Shaikh, alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjadali Akbarali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed in an encounter bid on June 15, 2004.