Samir Pathan case: Hearing deferred

Hearing of a plea seeking reinvestigation of the Samir Khan Pathan 8220;encounter8221; case by an 8220;impartial agency8221; has been deferred to August 18 by the Metropolitan Court here. The plea was filed by Pathan8217;s cousin Sahishta Khan.

Metropolitan Magistrate T V Joshi deferred the hearing on the grounds that IG Prisons, Ahmedabad, Tirthraj was on medical leave from August 6 to 16. In a sting operation, Tirthraj had claimed he had evidence in the case. Based on an application filed by Sahishta Khan8217;s lawyer, I M Munshi, the Metropolitan Court had issued summons to Tirthraj on August 6.

Pathan was killed on October 22, 2002, 10 days after he was arrested by the Detection of Crime Branch DCB. At the time, the DCB had claimed that Pathan was a Jaish-e-Mohammed operative and was on a mission to kill Modi.