2 min readAhmedabadFeb 12, 2016 04:43 AM IST
First published on: Feb 12, 2016 at 04:43 AM IST
Gohil was made special CBI judge in December 2014 and asked to conduct proceedings in the Ishrat case last year.
The same day David Headley identified the slain Ishrat Jahan as an LeT operative, the special CBI judge hearing that encounter case recused.
“Not before me,” special judge V B Gohil told lawyers and the accused in court Thursday and adjourned the case until May 30. He said he has written to Gujarat High Court and is waiting for a decision.
The CBI’s special public prosecutor, R C Kodekar, said, “The special judge informed us that one of the defence lawyers (B P Jhala) is known to him. Therefore, he is recusing from the case.”
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Gohil was made special CBI judge in December 2014 and asked to conduct proceedings in the Ishrat case last year. He has exempted key accused D G Vanzara from appearing after the retired Gujarat police officer sought exemption from appearance because a Bombay High Court has confined him to Mumbai.
Thursday’s development holds up a case already crawling; it has been listed at the stage of framing of charges for more than one-and-a-half-years. The CBI has prepared a supplementary chargesheet against four IB officers but has not been able to progress beyond that, with the Ministry of Home Affairs refusing to sanction prosecution of the officers. Now, the process of replacing the judge is likely to take time as Gujarat’s acting chief justice has been transferred to Karnataka and a new chief justice is yet to take charge.
Gohil was made special CBI judge in December 2014 and asked to conduct proceedings in the Ishrat case last year.
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