New Delhi: Gujarat police officer Satish Verma, who was helping CBI in its probe into Ishrat Jahan encounter case, is understood to have not intervened during the questioning of the then Home Ministry official R V S Mani who had given contradictory statements on her antecedents.
CBI sources privy to the questioning of Mani said Verma did not intervene during the session as claimed by the then official of Home Ministry official who signed two affidavits filed before the Gujarat High Court in 2009.
Mani had allegedly claimed that Verma, an IPS of Gujarat cadre, tried to coerce him into making the statement. Verma, who was part of Special Investigation Team constituted by the Gujarat High Court, had assisted CBI till June 24 with regards to its investigation in Ishrat case.
In the first affidavit, the then Under Secretary in MHA, Mani, had claimed Ishrat was a terrorist while within two months this position was changed and he filed another affidavit saying no conclusive evidence was there to show that she was involved in terror activities.
CBI, which was handed over the case in 2011, wanted to interrogate Mani for the flip-flop in informing the Gujarat High Court about the antecedents of Ishrat who was killed in an alleged fake encounter executed by Gujarat Crime Branch officials.
The sources said Mani, who is now a Deputy Secretary in Urban Development Ministry, was examined by the agency on June 22 in Gandhinagar at the office of the Special Investigating team by the Chief Investigating Officer of the agency.
"He was examined only in reference to MHA file on which decisions relating to file affidavits dated August 6, 2009 and September 29, 2009 were taken. As this file was not available, a statement was recorded regarding Home Ministry`s decision- making hierarchy," CBI spokesperson Dharini Mishra said here.
PTI
