Ishrat encounter case: CBI special court rejects applications of Vanzara, Singhal

CBI special court rejects Singhal and Vanzara's application to review previous statements of witnesses in the case.

Vanzara had pleaded for bail on the ground that he was arrested in 2007 and since then is lodged in the jail in judicial custody.

File photo: D G Vanzara at a court hearing. (Source: IE Archive)

A CBI special court on Thursday rejected an application moved by Ishrat Jahan encounter case accused IPS officers G L Singhal and D G Vanzara (retired). They had sought previous statements of witnesses in the case recorded by Gujarat High Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) and Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch.

Singhal’s lawyer Brijrajsinh Jhala said that special CBI judge Gita Gopi rejected the application saying that since Gujarat High Court hailed that DCB’s FIR was fake, there is no need to furnish previous statements of the witnesses.

These witnesses are the policemen who gave statements against their own colleagues before the CBI investigators. However, their previous statements before SIT were different from what they told the CBI. In fact, these witnesses were shown as accused in the encounter case by SIT.

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“These statements are important for our case. The CBI witnesses have given contradictory statements in the past. We will appeal against the order in the High Court,” Jhala said.

The CBI has cited names of retired DSPs DH Goswami, KM Vaghela, former Ahmedabad Police Commissioner KR Kaushik, police inspector Bharat Patel among others. In the FIR lodged by SIT these cops were shown as accused but they turned witnesses before the CBI.

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