CBI seeks 90 more days in Sadik probe

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday sought three months’ extension to continue with their probe of Sadik Jamal encounter case. The application it has filed before Gujarat high court is likely to come up for hearing in couple of days.

“We have moved an application seeking three more months’ time to conclude the probe, which is in a crucial stage at present,” said YN Ravani, special counsel for CBI. Following a HC order issued on June 17, 2011, the central probe agency started probing the case and has already started arresting the accused including Mumbai-based former journalist Ketan Tirodkar, who was arrested last month, while Mehsana DySP Tarun Barot was arrested last week. CBI has also interrogated IPS officer G L Singhal, who had, as then SP Detection of Crime Branch (DCB), Ahmedabad, conducted the investigation in the case in May-June 2003.

In June 2012 too, Gujarat high court had granted CBI 3 months’ time asking it to wrap up probe by October 2, 2012. A resident of Bhavnagar, Sadiq Jamal was killed in Ahmedabad on January 13, 2003 allegedly by officers of crime branch. Cops, at that time, however, claimed that Sadiq had entered the city with the motive to kill Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Dr Pravin Togadia.

Later, Sadik’s brother Sabbir Jamal filed a petition

in the High Court in 2007 claiming that his brother was killed in the fake encounter and demanded a CBI probe in the case.