Satish Verma's petition referred to Chief Justice

AHMEDABAD: Justice S R Brahmbhatt of Gujarat high court on Thursday referred IPS officer Satish Verma's petition seeking recall of HC order for fresh probe in three alleged custodial death cases of Porbandar to the chief justice to place it before the appropriate bench.
With this, the investigation against Verma will remain stayed till Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya assigns this case to a bench.
The case is referred to the CJ on request by complainant Hiralal Shial. His counsel submitted that Justice Anant Dave ordered fresh probe on April 18 last year, and Verma has sought to recall the order. This automatically includes review, which can be done by the same bench.
On the other hand, Verma's counsel argued that the application was filed pursuant to the Supreme Court's directions to move the HC, and not for a review. The proceeding arose out of the order passed in a PIL in 1998, since it was contended by Shial that the HC order was not complied with. This case may be heard by the division bench along with the main PIL that was filed earlier.
The HC ordered fresh probe after the report of earlier investigation by then IGP Hiralal had gone missing from the HC registry. The HC registrar on oath submitted that no such probe report was filed at all.
Later, Verma furnished a copy of not only inquiry report as ordered by the HC, but also of the proceedings in the local court that were initiated on basis of the HC orders. He even placed a copy of the HC register and the order passed by division bench in 1998 that revealed that the report was submitted in HC registry and the judges ordered to keep it in safe custody.
Jasu Gagan Shial and Aher Ranmal Ram were killed in police encounters, while Aher Narayan Jesti Bandhiya was found dead hanging on a tree beside a police station in Porbandar and Junagadh district in 1996-97. Bhandhiya was on police remand then and cops claimed that he had escaped. Verma was posted as superintendent of police in Porbandar then.
Verma is aggressively probing the Ishrat Jahan encounter case, and his term with the probe team of the CBI is scheduled to end on Friday.