Ishrat case: 2 more Guj police officers apply for default bail

Two more Gujarat police officers have applied for bail in the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case, after the Central Bureau of Investigation failed to file charge-sheet within the mandatory 90 days from arrest.

"Tarun Barot and Bharat Patel have applied for default bail as the CBI failed to file the chargesheet," defence lawyer advocate Sanjay Thakkar said.

Barot was deputy superintendent of police while Patel was an inspector with Gandhinagar Special Operation Group at the time of their arrest on February 23. In 2004, when the encounter took place, both were with Ahmedabad crime branch.

Earlier, suspended Indian Police Service officer Girish Singhal and retired DSP J G Parmar had applied for `default' bail on the same ground. While the court on Friday reserved its order on Singhal's plea for Monday, hearing on Parmar's bail application was adjourned.

Mumbai-based Ishrat Jahan, Javed Sheikh alias Pranesh Pillai alongwith alleged Pakistani nationals Amjad Ali Rana and Zeeshan Johan were killed in an encounter on June 15, 2004 on an empty stretch of road between Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.

The Gujarat police had then claimed that they were part of a "conspiracy" to assassinate Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.