M A I N   N E W S

New SIT chief to probe Ishrat Jahan encounter

Ahmedabad, July 15
The Gujarat High Court today relieved Satyapal Singh as chief of Special Investigation Team probing the Ishrat Jahan encounter case and appointed senior IPS officer JV Ramudu as his successor.

Ramudu, a 1981-batch officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, will be the third IPS officer to head the HC-appointed SIT probing the 2004 encounter of Mumbai teenager Ishrat and three others near here, allegedly by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch.

A Division Bench of justices Jayant Patel and Abhilasha Kumari, which is hearing the matter, also expressed concern over the retraction of statements by some of the witnesses in the case.

During the last hearing, Maharashtra cadre officer Satyapal Singh had requested the court to relieve him of his duties. Later, the HC had asked the Centre to give its opinion on Singh's application seeking exemption from the responsibility citing certain reasons.

The Centre today told the court that Satyapal Singh, named SIT head in May, may be freed of his responsibilities. The court directed the Gujarat Government to issue notification on Ramudu's appointment before July 19 and ordered him to join immediately. — PTI