A special CBI court on Wednesday ruled that former Gujarat in-charge, DGP PP Pandey, will no longer be an accused in the 2004 alleged fake encounter of Ishrat Jahan and three others. Pandey is the first accused in the case to be discharged by the court. Special CBI court judge JK Pandya allowed Pandey's discharge application on the ground that there was no evidence against him related to the kidnapping and murder of the four. The CBI, which investigated the case, had accused Pandey, who then headed the Ahmedabad crime branch, as being involved in the alleged fake encounter. The court said that no witnesses accused Pandey of the murder and kidnapping of the victims. It also said that the witnesses' evidence were contradictory as they gave different evidence to different investigating agencies. The court also held that being a government servant, permission to prosecute Pandey was not taken by the investigating officer from the state before filing of the charge sheet against him, as per section 197 of the CrPC.

A special CBI court on Wednesday ruled that former Gujarat in-charge, DGP PP Pandey, will no longer be an accused in the 2004 alleged fake encounter of Ishrat Jahan and three others. Pandey is the first accused in the case to be discharged by the court. Special CBI court judge JK Pandya allowed Pandey's discharge application on the ground that there was no evidence against him related to the kidnapping and murder of the four. The CBI, which investigated the case, had accused Pandey, who then headed the Ahmedabad crime branch, as being involved in the alleged fake encounter. The court said that no witnesses accused Pandey of the murder and kidnapping of the victims. It also said that the witnesses' evidence were contradictory as they gave different evidence to different investigating agencies. The court also held that being a government servant, permission to prosecute Pandey was not taken by the investigating officer from the state before filing of the charge sheet against him, as per section 197 of the CrPC.