Mumbai: The bulletproof jacket which slain
IPS officer and the then Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare
was wearing on the night of November 26, 2008 was not
responsible for his death at the hands of terrorists, state
advocate general told the Bombay High Court today.
Advocate General Ravi Kadam was defending the
government's 2002 decision to procure the jackets which do not
cover shoulders and neck.
A PIL filed by one Santosh Daundkar has alleged
corruption in the purchase of 110 jackets, seeking CBI
inquiry.
Arguing before the division bench of Chief Justice Mohit
Shah and Justice S C Dharmadhikari, Kadam said, "Karkare's
received all five bullets in the shoulder...none of the
bullets pierced the jacket. The jacket did not fail."
He argued that "with wisdom of hindsight" nobody would
purchase such jackets now, but in 2002 such threat perception
did not exist.
"The heavier the jacket is, it hampers officer's
mobility," he said, refuting any irregularities in purchase.
The jackets were meant only for .9 mm rounds, and not
AK-47 rounds (which Kasab used), Kadam said.
Earlier, petitioner's lawyer advocate Y P Singh said a
bulletproof jacket "has to cover shoulders".
-PTI
First Published: Thursday, August 05, 2010, 22:02