Govt forms STF to probe into Sadiq Jamal encounter

Earlier this month,the bench of Justice M R Shah reserved its order on a petition moved by Shabbir Jamal,brother of Sadiq who was killed by the Ahmedabad City Detection of Crime Branch on January 13,2003. Shabbir has demanded a CBI probe alleging that the encounter was staged.

On April 18,the government pleader informed the court that the government has formed an STF to probe into the case as per an earlier notification under the chairmanship of a retired judge of Supreme Court,M B Shah. The government pleader also produced an affidavit by the concerned department of the government in this regard.

Since the arguments in the petition are over,the court scheduled the matter for hearing on Wednesday. Today,the government pleader requested the court to take the affidavit on record,though the court raised the query as to how can it do so when the order to reserve the judgment has already been pronounced. The court said the government also has to take consent of the other parties in the matter.

The court then fixed April 25 as the date on which it will conduct hearing to decide if the affidavit has to be taken on record.

As per the government affidavit,the STF consists of five IPS officers from the Gujarat-cadre — Inspector General of Police A K Sharma,Deputy Inspector General of Police D J Patel and Superintendents of Police Sandeep Singh,D R Patel and R V Asari.

The STF,it said,has been formed as per a 2010 government notification under which it was notified to establish an STF to probe into any encounter killing in Gujarat.