Retd SC judge to monitor STF probe into Sadiq encounter case

Sadiq was killed in Naroda area of the city on January 13,2003 by City Crime Branch,claiming that he was a hardcore criminal at par with Dawood Ibrahim and had been plotting to kill BJP leader L K Advani,Chief Minister Narendra Modi and VHP leader Pravin Togadia.

The affidavit said the state government has also appointed five police officers as members of the STF that would enquire into the instance of encounter.

The notification in this regard was issued on April 2 when Inspector General A K Sharma was appointed as chief of STF while DIG D J Patel,SP Sandeep Singh,SP D R Patel and SP R V Asari have been made its members.

Government pleader P K Jani requested the court to take this information on record while considering the petition of Sadiq’s brother Shabbir Jamal Mehtar who has sought a CBI enquiry into his brother’s death.

The court has decided to hear all the parties in connection with the case on April 25 before bringing the information on record.

In his petition demanding CBI probe,Sadiq’s brother Shabbir Mehtar had claimed that his brother was not a terrorist and the plot to kill him was a “cold-blooded murder” and a “conspiracy” hatched by the then Deputy Commissioner of Police D G Vanzara and IPS officer P P Pande,who was heading the City Crime Branch in 2003.

Pande is presently additional director general of police and heading the state CID. Vanzara is behind bars in connection with the 2005 fake encounter of Soharabuddin Sheikh and killing of his wife Kausar Bi.

They both have denied their role in the encounter of Sadiq Jamal,in their respective affidavits in the Gujarat High Court.