The Gujarat Government is setting stage to suspend Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) PP Pandey. The senior cop was declared proclaimed absconder in the much talked about Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case by court. The CBI has also named him accused in the killing of Ishrat and three others.
The State police chief has already issued lookout notices for the IPS officer. Now, the State Home Department has initiated procedure to suspend him on the ground of remaining absent from duty.
“When an IPS officer remains absent from duty without taking leave, Director General of Police (DGP) would issue a notice to that particular officer. Subsequently, if the officer does not come on duty within a fortnight, DGP is supposed to send a report to the State Home Department. Based on that report departmental inquiry occurs and ultimately the officer gets suspended,” said a senior official in Gujarat’s Home Department.
“The State Home Department has not received any report yet from the police chief. let the report come first, we will take decision based on it,” said SK Nanda, Gujarat’s Home Secretary. When contacted Gujarat DGP Amitabh Pathak said that Pandey’ case is being studied and officials are in process to prepare report.
Earlier this year, the CBI had issued summons in February for investigation. But Pandey applied for sick leave and disappeared. Since then he did not take charge. later on, the CBI submitted application before the court to declare him absconder. Following a notification court declared him absconder. Pandey surfaced dramatically on July 29 up to August 6. Now, nobody knows his whereabouts. “This time Pandey has not submitted leave report with the police department”, said sources.
After Pandey appeared before court on August 1, he was allotted a commando according to protocol, who stayed with him till August 6, said a senior official in Ahmedabad. The commando reported to the police control room that he had accompanied Pandey to the court for the hearing on 6th August. After his bail application rejected, the ADGP told him to take another vehicle and reach at a hospital he was admitted as he wanted to go by ambulance due to lack of space. “When I reached at the hospital, ADGP was not there,” said Commando.
The 1982 batch IPS officer ran away from arrest for almost three months. He, however, appeared on a stretcher in a CBI court building, and went up to the courtroom in a wheelchair seeking protection from arrest earlier this month. When his anticipatory bail application was rejected by CBI court and later on in Gujarat High Court, he quickly stood up from wheelchair and again disappeared. With his all options have dried up, his arrest is inevitable.