Sadiq Jamal encounter: Gujarat High Court rejects father’s plea for compensation

The Sadiq encounter was the first case in which the role of Intelligence Bureau officials cropped up during the CBI probe.

The Gujarat High Court Friday rejected a petition moved by the father of Sadiq Jamal Mehtar seeking Rs 50 lakh compensation from the state government for his son’s death in an alleged fake encounter in 2003. As per the CBI investigation, the encounter was staged by a team of Gujarat police officers, who had branded Sadiq Jamal as a Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist.

Justice J B Pardiwala rejected the petition, saying that ordering compensation would influence the trial court where the case is pending. The CBI probe in the case remains pending since filing of the first chargesheet in December 2012 against eight police officers, including DSP Tarun Barot. The CBI has still not filed its supplementary chargesheet in the case.

The Sadiq encounter was the first case in which the role of Intelligence Bureau officials cropped up during the CBI probe. It is alleged that they branded Sadiq as a terrorist potting to kill the then CM Narendra Modi among others. The state government has questioned the CBI probe while arguing on the petition of Jamal Mehtar. It has argued that the CBI chargesheet is not “gospel truth”, and it is yet to be scrutinised by the trial court.