Ishrat Jahan was not a terrorist, but the three others killed along with her in a fake encounter on the outskirts of Ahmedabad nine years ago had alleged terror links, the CBI has concluded in its chargesheet to be filed in the case before the Gujarat high court on Wednesday.
The reports came hours before the CBI is slated to file the chargesheet in the case. According to legal counsel to Ishrat Jahan’s mother, Mukul Sinha, the CBI will file the chargesheet this afternoon.
Also, the agency is unlikely to name Intelligence Bureau (IB) official Rajendra Kumar in the chargesheet and may seek more time to probe the conspiracy angle.
The preliminary set of formal charges may focus on those who are alleged to be directly involved in the suspected staged shootout and not on the conspiracy behind it.
Mumbai college girl Ishrat Jahan, Pranesh Gopinath Pillai, Amjad Ali and Jishan Johar were killed by the Gujarat Police in a shootout in Ahmedabad in 2004.
CBI officials said that the preliminary chargesheet was likely to name the officers alleged to be directly involved in the incident and the agency will file a supplementary chargesheet on the conspiracy angle in the killing.
The CBI has also questioned Rajendra Kumar, an Indian Police Service officer and IB official, in the case. Officials said he was unlikely to be named in the preliminary chargesheet as an accused.
Rajendra Kumar was with the IB in Gujarat when the shootout took place.
The Union Home Ministry has maintained that its prior sanction was required by the CBI to prosecute Rajendra Kumar. The ministry also expressed doubts over “evidence” that the agency claimed to have gathered on his alleged involvement.