Dead men tell many tales
On February 12, the Supreme Court is
to hear the litigation filed for renewing the investigation in the former home
minister of Gujarat, Haren Pandya's murder case. The litigation has been filed
by a NGO, Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL). Taking the ground of new facts which is akin
to the Haren Pandya's murder case, the petition says that the CBI had not done
any investigation taking the facts in its cognizance.
The petition refers the statement of
witness, Azam Khan, in the Sohrabuddin Shekh encounter case in Mumbai lower
court in November last year. In this statement Azam Khan admitted about the
bounty of Haren Pandya’s murder as was told him by Shekh, and a senior police
officer was also involved. Azam Khan, in his statement, claimed that the same
thing he had told the CBI in year 2010, but they had refused to record this
statement.
According to the PTI, CPIL’s
litigation refers that the retired IPS,DG Vanjara, including other police officers
with the political persons might have been involved in the Haren Pandya’s
murder as the witness statement reveals. According to the petition, this
witness even had exposed that Sohrabbuding with Tulsi Ram Prajapati including
two other had killed Pandya.
Haren Pandya was the Home Minister
in Gujarat government under the leadership Narendra Modi; while he had resigned
from his post and he had been killed in a car outside Law Garden at Ahemdabad
in the same year. He was at morning walk here. the prima facie murder
investigation was carried out by the crime branch under then deputy police
commissioner, DG Vanjara although Jagriti Pandya, Harenpandya’s wife, had suspected some amiss and posed her question on this investigation.
"My son's death was a planned, political
murder...it must be reinvestigated."
—Vithal Pandya, father of the late Haren Pandya, former Gujarat revenue minister, to Outlook on November 7, 2007
—Vithal Pandya, father of the late Haren Pandya, former Gujarat revenue minister, to Outlook on November 7, 2007
The investigation of
murder case had been referred to the CBI who had arrested and accused 15
peoples. The Trial Court had convicted 12 peoples, but the Gujarat High Court
acquitted all these on the ground of no enough evidence against them. The CBI
appeal is still on pending in SC.
