Breaking News Gujarat Header Slider Headline News

Sohrabuddin ‘fake’ encounter cases: CBI oppose discharge plea of Gujarat IPS Vipul Aggarwal

CBI Central Investigation Bureau on Wednesday opposed the discharge application of Gujarat IPS officer Vipul Aggarwal in the Bombay High Court in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh and Tulsiram Prajapati alleged fake encounter cases.

Justice A M Badar in hearing a revision application rejected discharge application of Aggarwal. Last week, Senior Counsel Shirish Gupte, appearing for Aggarwal, Gupte told the court: “This evidence on oath is going to be used by the trial court.”

As per CBI chargesheet, on the instruction of former Gujarat DIG D G Vanzara, Aggarwal summoned ATS officer Ashish Pandya, who was on leave, to kill Prajapati in a fake encounter.

Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, appearing for the CBI, opposed the discharge application of Aggarwal and told the court that Aggarwal’s role was different from the alleged role of Vanzara, who was discharged by the trial court. According to CBI, Aggarwal had “intentionally removed” the leave record of co-accused Ashish Pandya, involved in the alleged fake encounter of Sohrabuddin’s associate Tulsiram Prajapati, as part of a criminal conspiracy. Sohrabuddin’s lawyer Dinesh Tiwari also opposed the discharge application of Aggarwal. Tiwari told the court that the statement of Pandya’s wife’s confirms that Pandya was on leave to celebrate his wife’s birthday. There is enough collaborative evidence to show the role of Aggarwal in calling Pandya back from leave, Tiwari told the court. Tiwari further said Aggarwal ‘s official duty was to “uphold the rule of law,” and not to “oblige his senior officers”.

The CBI chargesheet states that “immediately after the murder of Tulsiram, Aggarwal, who was very close to Ambaji area, took a probationer Deputy SP Mayur Chavda to the scene of crime near Sarhad Chapri in his own vehicle. The way Aggarwal was explaining the incident, it was clear that he had already been to the scene of crime.” It also alleges he entered into a criminal conspiracy by tampering with the evidence.