Ishrat case: Ex IB special director seeks copy of charge sheet

Former Special Director of Intelligence Bureau Rajinder Kumar, who was charged by the Central Bureau of Investigation with murder and criminal conspiracy in Ishrat Jahan encounter case, today approached a special court and sought a copy of the supplementary charge sheet.

However, the court directed him to come next week stating that the charge sheet copy filed by the CBI was being verified. The CBI had on Thursday charged Rajinder Kumar with murder and criminal conspiracy in the 2004 encounter case, while accusing three other serving officers of criminal conspiracy and other offences but left out Amit Shah, a close aide of Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who was under the scanner in the case.

Kumar, through his advocate, approached the court today to obtain a copy of charge sheet. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate H S Khutwad of the CBI court told Kumar's counsel that the charge sheet was under verification process and directed him to come on Monday.

Nearly a decade after Ishrat was murdered along with her friend Javed Sheikh, alias Pranesh Pillai, in Gujarat and two others, believed to be Pakistani nationals, the CBI filed a supplementary chargesheet naming Kumar, who was joint director of the IB posted in Gujarat at that time.

He was charged with 120-B (criminal conspiracy) for 302 (murder) and other sections of the Indian Penal Code besides various provisions of the Arms Act. Along with Kumar, those named in the charge sheet are serving officers T Mittal, M K Sinha and Rajiv Wankhede who have been booked for criminal conspiracy, wrongful confinement, kidnapping and wrongful concealment besides various sections of the Arms Act.