Gujarat HC dismisses Pandya wife’s petition

In the petition,Jagruti seeks reinvestigation into the murder of her husband.

Gujarat High Court today dismissed Jagruti Pandya’s petition widow of former Minister of State for Home Haren Pandya seeking reinvestigation into her husband’s killing. A single judge Bench of Justice A S Dave passed an order in this regard as appeal of CBI and the state government challenging the HC verdict to acquit all the convicts of murder charges are pending before the Supreme Court.

Jagruti had moved the petition in September last year after a Division Bench of HC had acquitted all the 12 convicts of murder charges while coming down heavily on the investigation done by the CBI in the case.

Yogesh Ravani counsel of CBI at HC said both the CBI as well as state government had challenged the Division Bench’s verdict in the apex court. And in those appeals,the apex court has them granted leave too. We opposed the petition on the ground that HC should not entertain the petition when the apex court is seized with the subject matter related to the same case. So,following this,the court has dismissed the petition without entering into the merits of the same, Ravani added.

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The sole purpose of the reinvestigation is to see that the real offenders are brought to book and justice is done in the matter, Jagruti had contended in her petition while pointing out a number of defects in the prosecution case already highlighted by the Division Bench in its judgment. She also completely ruled out any connection between Pandya’s murder and any conspiracy to kill Hindu leaders after the 2002 riots.

Jagruti had demanded probe into the statements of suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt,and one of the witnesses in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh Fake Encounter Case,Azam Khan.

Haren Pandya was found shot dead inside his car near Law Garden on March 26,2003.

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