Gandhinagar: Gujarat's top cop Director General of Police PP Pandey has resigned, it was announced, after the Supreme Court said today that it would order his removal unless he has offered to quit. The Gujarat government told the court that Mr Pandey was ready to step down and would be relieved of his post immediately. Meetings have begun in state capital Gandhinagar to appoint a successor. PP Pandey has been charged with murder in the 2004 Ishrat Jehan encounter case and is out on bail; the Supreme Court was hearing a petition challenging his appointment last year as Gujarat's police chief.
While appointing Mr Pandey to the top post last April, the state government had said he would only hold additional charge. But he was given an extension after his tenure ended this January and he was due to retire on April 30. The Gujarat government told the court today that it wanted to extend Mr Pandey's tenure for six months, but the union Ministry of Home Affairs had allowed only a three-month extension.
The petition against Mr Pandey was filed by a predecessor Julio Ribeiro, who has argued that the state's police cannot be headed by a person accused of the murder of four people, especially when trial is yet to begin. Mr Pandey has been charged along with others with conspiracy, illegal confinement and murder in the Ishrat Jehan case by the Central Bureau of Investigation or CBI.
A CBI court is hearing the Ishrat Jehan case. The CBI has filed two charge-sheets, the first of which accuses Mr Pandey and others of staging a fake encounter to kill the four people. The second charge-sheet is against four people, including officers of the Centre's Intelligence Bureau, but that is still be taken on record by the court.
While appointing Mr Pandey to the top post last April, the state government had said he would only hold additional charge. But he was given an extension after his tenure ended this January and he was due to retire on April 30. The Gujarat government told the court today that it wanted to extend Mr Pandey's tenure for six months, but the union Ministry of Home Affairs had allowed only a three-month extension.
The petition against Mr Pandey was filed by a predecessor Julio Ribeiro, who has argued that the state's police cannot be headed by a person accused of the murder of four people, especially when trial is yet to begin. Mr Pandey has been charged along with others with conspiracy, illegal confinement and murder in the Ishrat Jehan case by the Central Bureau of Investigation or CBI.
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A CBI court is hearing the Ishrat Jehan case. The CBI has filed two charge-sheets, the first of which accuses Mr Pandey and others of staging a fake encounter to kill the four people. The second charge-sheet is against four people, including officers of the Centre's Intelligence Bureau, but that is still be taken on record by the court.
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