Ishrat Jahan case: CBI files Preliminary Enquiry into conversation between Modi and top cops // CBI tracks Modi's ministers, cops 'attempt' to derail Ishrat Jahan probe

In a setback for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday registered a preliminary enquiry into the audio recording between the Gujarat Chief Minister and top cops in connection with the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case.
According to reports, an audio recording allegedly on how to derail Ishrat Jahan encounter case has been provided by suspended IPS officer G L Singhal. The audio recording reportedly is of a conversation that took place a day before a SIT appointed by the Gujarat high court was to submit its report in the case.
On July 3, 2013 CBI had filed its first chargesheet naming seven of Gujarat police officers and claimed that the encounter was fake. The chargesheet had claimed that the encounter was a part of a joint operation by Gujarat police and IB officials including former Special Director Rajinder Kumar.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/gujarat/ishrat-jahan-case-cbi-files-pe-in-conversation-between-modi-and-top-cops/

CBI tracks Modi's ministers, cops 'attempt' to derail Ishrat Jahan probe 
In what could spell trouble for Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s key aides, the CBI on Tuesday ordered a preliminary enquiry into an alleged attempt by his ministers, police officials and bureaucrats to derail the probe in the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case.The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) action comes at a time when Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP's) prime ministerial candidate, is leading the party's charge for the Lok Sabha polls. The enquiry was ordered on the basis of an audio recording of a meeting in 2011 between the then junior home minister Praful Patel, junior law minister Pradipsinh Jadeja, Indian Police Service (IPS) officer AK Sharma, officials from the CM’s office and Kamal Trivedi, advocate general of Gujarat.


IPS officer GL Singhal, who was also at the meeting, claims to have recorded the conversation, which reportedly focused on framing a strategy to derail the probe in the Ishrat case. The meeting was held a day ahead of the final hearing in the case in Gujarat high court. Singhal submitted the recorded conversation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following his arrest in the Ishrat case in February 2013. He is out bail. In the recording, Patel is reportedly heard saying that he had called IPS Satish Verma to his residence at 2am and requested him to water down the probe so that the police officials involved in the killing could be saved.
A 1986 batch IPS of Gujarat cadre, Verma was a part of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by Gujarat high court to probe the controversial fake encounter in which four persons including 19-year-old Mumbra girl Ishrat were killed by the police. Following Verma’s investigation, the Gujarat government had pleaded before the high court to disband the SIT and hand over the probe to the CBI. Earlier, the CBI had interrogated Patel, Jadeja, Sharma and others. According to sources, the preliminary enquiry will focus on several aspects such as at whose behalf the meeting was held, whether it was formal or informal meeting and if minutes of the meeting were written.
The enquiry will also focus on the role of the chief minister's office.
Ishrat and three others were killed by the Gujarat police in June 2004. The police had claimed that they were Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives on a mission to assassinate Modi. However, a judicial probe and subsequent police probe, first by the SIT and then by the CBI, concluded that the encounter was staged and four persons killed were in the prior custody of the police. The CBI charge sheet filed in the case had named Gujarat police officials and four officials of the country's premier intelligence agency, Intelligence Bureau (IB), for colluding to procure custody of the victims and also supplying weapons, which were planted on them.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ishrat-case-modi-ministers-cops-under-cbi-lens-for-attempt-to-derail-probe/article1-1196629.aspx
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