New Delhi: The special CBI court pronounced its order on the bail application of retired ADGP PP Pandey in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case. The court on Thursday granted bail to IPS officer PP Pandey.
On January 28 the court had held back the orders on bail applications of retired cop DG Vanzara and ADGP PP Pandey and adjourned hearing till Thursday. The court will take up a similar petition by another IPS officer DG Vanzara later today.
Pandey is the senior most IPS officer to be arrested in a fake encounter case and has spent over a year in jail as an under trial. Pandey has been asked to submit two surety bonds of Rs 50,000 each and his passport, as part of the bail conditions.
The court had heard arguments from the defence as well as the prosecution appearing on behalf of the CBI earlier last month and reserved order till January 28.
During his arguments in favor of Pandey's bail plea, advocate Nanawati had last month pointed out that it was IB which had informed the police that some terrorists had landed in the state to assassinate the Chief Minister and other leaders.
Pandey was the Joint Commissioner of Police when Mumbia-based 19-year old college girl Ishrat Jahan, Pranesh Pillai alias Javed Sheikh, Amjad Ali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were allegedly gunned down by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch sleuths on the outskirts of the city on June 15, 2004.
Vanzara was deputy to Pandey in the crime branch when the encounter had taken place.
The CBI started the investigation following a Gujarat High Court order in December 2011. It concluded that the encounter had been staged by the Gujarat police and the Intelligence Bureau.
The judge, K R Upadhyaya, had concluded the hearing on January 16.
