Thaindian News

Gandhinagar, June 16 (IANS) The Gujarat High Court Thursday ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the 2003 killing of Sadiq Jamal Mehtar, an alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant, in a police shootout and give a report within six months.

Justice M.R. Shah, while allowing an appeal by Sadiq’s brother Shabbir, directed the crime branch of Ahmedabad police to register a fresh first information report (FIR) relating to the killing and transfer the probe to the CBI.

The judge ordered: “The CBI is hereby directed to take up the investigation of the said case and complete the same at the earliest, preferably within the period of six months from the date of taking over the investigation from the state police authorities.”

The court said it would be open for the probe agency to approach the court for modification of the present order if it had any “reservations” in taking up the investigations.

The court said that in such an eventuality, Shabbir’s alternative plea to transfer the case to any other agency may be considered.

Mehtar was killed in the early hours of Jan 13, 2003, near Galaxy Cinema in Ahmedabad city by broadly the same band of policemen of the Ahmedabad crime branch which has been indicted for Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsi Prajapati killings.

This is the third suspected staged shootout case in the state to be handed over to the CBI. The first case was the killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife Kauserbi, followed by that of his associate and key witness Tulsi Prajapati.

Justice Shah observed that high ranking police officers were alleged to have been involved in Mehtar’s killing and there were apprehensions of bias in the probe if it was given to state government-appointed special task force.

While pulling up the state government for its approach, the court said: “This court fails to appreciate how the state can oppose registration of a complaint, involving serious allegations on grounds of delay.”

Shabbir’s counsel Mukul Sinha told IANS: “Now with the CBI probe into the investigation, the larger conspiracy behind this chain of alleged fake encounters is likely to come out, which may explain why the killer cops kept on attributing the same motive to their victims.”

Shabbir alleged Mehtar was projected by police as an operative of LeT on a mission to assassinate Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani and a Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader.

However, questions over his killing surfaced in 2003 itself when Mumbai-based journalist Ketan Tirodkar told a court that Mehtar was killed in a staged shootout.