SIT seeks review of high court order in Ishrat Jahan case

The Supreme Court-appointed special investigation team (SIT) on Friday filed a petition in Gujarat high court seeking a review of its earlier order handing over the investigation of the Ishrat Jahan encounter case to the probe team.

Public prosecutor JM Panchal submitted the SIT’s review before the high court bench comprising justices Jayant Patel and Abhilasha Kumari.

He requested the court to review its earlier order that had directed the SIT to take over the investigation of the Ishrat case.

The bench adjourned the hearing of the case to September 9 as the Supreme Court has stayed the high court order handing over the Ishrat case investigation to the probe team.   

“As per the judicial discipline, we are not hearing the case as the Apex Court has granted a stay on the order handing over the probe of the case to the SIT,” the bench said.

It then adjourned the hearing to September 9. The bench gave this order while hearing the petition filed by Gopinath Pillai for a review of the high court order that had handed over the Ishrat case to the SIT.

On August 23, the bench had adjourned the hearing as the state government had sought time to find out the SIT’s stand on the issue.