Ahmedabad:
In an embarrassing setback to the Modi government, the Gujarat High Court has cancelled its recent complaint against Additional DGP Kuldeep Sharma in a 26-year-old encounter case. The case was reopened against the officer as he had fallen out of favour with Narendra Modi.
Back in 1986 the officer's name had neither appeared in police charge sheet nor in the court records. But then in February this year the Gujarat Police reopened the case, ostensibly on the request of the victims' families.
''The competent courts had acquitted those officers who were alleged to be involved. Instead of appealing against the judgement, what the state did was file a fresh FIR and make Sharma a new accused in the case. It clearly amounted to giving power to the police to rule over the judgement of the court,'' said S V Raju, the defence counsel.
Sharma alleges the case was reopened to punish him for going against the Narendra Modi Government. He first stirred the hornet's nest when he recommended a corruption probe against the then Minister of State for Home Amit Shah, a close Modi man, now in jail.
Recently after he unofficially assisted the CBI to investigate the Sohrabuddin case he was sidelined to the Gujarat Sheep and Wool Development Corporation and the old case was reopened against him.