Supreme Court relief for Gujarat IPS officer Satish Chandra Verma who probed Ishrat Jahan encounter

New Delhi, September 19

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed for a week, the Centre’s decision to dismiss Gujarat IPS officer Satish Chandra Verma on August 30, a month before his retirement.

Verma, who had assisted the Gujarat High Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the 2004 Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case, was last posted as the Inspector General of Police, CRPF Training College in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. He had probed the 2004 Ishrat Jahan case between April 2010 and October 2011. Based on his report, a SIT concluded that the encounter was “fake”.

Centre told to file report in child porn case

• The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to submit in six weeks a compilation of status reports of the government and Internet intermediaries on eliminating circulation of child pornography and rape videos
• As Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati said the govt’s status report was ready, a Bench led by Justices BR Gavai said it would be appropriate that service providers filed status reports and supplied it to the ASG
• The ASG is requested to furnish the compilation of the status report of the Union of India as well as the status report(s) of all service providers with a short note within a period of six weeks from today,” the Bench said, posting the matter for hearing on November 3

A Bench led by Justice KM Joseph allowed Verma to move the Delhi High Court challenging his dismissal. The SC said it was for the High Court to consider whether to stay the dismissal order or allow it to continue.

“We are of the view that in the facts of this case, the interests of justice require that the order passed by the respondent dismissing the appellant is not to be implemented till one week from today,” said the Bench which also included Justice Hrishikesh Roy.

Verma had moved the Supreme Court against a Delhi HC order permitting the MHA to go ahead with his dismissal. He had challenged two orders of the HC allowing his dismissal by the MHA on August 30 following a departmental inquiry that proved the charges against him, including that of interacting “with public media” during his tenure as CVO of North Eastern Electric Power Corporation, Shillong.