The Gujarat High Court on Thursday disposed of contempt of court proceedings initiated against the central government while accepting an unconditional apology tendered by the Home Departments secretary. The proceedings were initiated by a division bench of Justices Jayant Patel and Abhilasha Kumari in connection with the 2004 Ishrat Jahan encounter case. The court had issued a showcause notice to the Centre after a central governments IPS officer had expressed unwillingness to join the HC appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into the case. The officers name was given by the government after given due time by the court to make sure that the officer named takes and carries out responsibilities. Centres counsel Pankaj Champaneri said the home department had produced necessary files before the court related to the issue and also tendered unconditional apology. Following our explanation the court has accepted our unconditional apology. So,the chapter is closed now, he said.
