Rajnish Rai, the Gujarat Police DIG who was heading the probe into the fake encounter, was taken off the case a day after he sought a court’s permission to conduct narco-analysis tests on the three IPS officers involved in the case.

Sources in the State CID said that after securing police remand of five more days to interrogate DIG D G Vanjhara, SP Rajkumar Pandian and SP Dinesh Kumar, Rai on Wednesday moved an application before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, K J Upadhyay, seeking his permission to conduct narco analysis tests on the three accused.

Rai also met some officials in the Directorate of Forensic Science (DFS) in Gandhinagar on Thursday.

A few hours later, however, IG Geetha Johri was told that she was back on the case and DGP P C Pande conveyed the government’s decision to Rai.

A senior IPS officer said that Rai had already ruffled several feathers by moving the application. “Rai was taken off the probe after this decision, which would have exposed many more involved in the case,” the officer said.