Former Gujarat police chief Pandey, Johri seek more time from CBI

GANDHINAGAR - Summoned by the CBI for questioning in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh staged shootout case, both retired director general of Gujarat Police P.C. Pande and Rajkot police commissioner Geetha Johri have asked for more time.

Pande is on a trip to Kailash Mansarovar and has made it known that he would be back only Aug 18, while Johri has just returned from a training stint in London. The CBI had summoned Johri to appear on Tuesday and Pande a day later. The CBI will now fix revised dates, sources said.

Meanwhile, the bail plea of the former minister of state for home Amit Shah is slated to come up in court Wednesday. Shah spent a quiet day in Sabarmati jail Monday after two days of questioning. He has been remanded in judicial custody till Aug 21.

Meanwhile, Gujarat CID (crime) probing the Tulsiram Prajapati suspected staged shootout case has secured a day’s remand of the four Rajasthan police personnel earlier declared as absconders. The four including assistant sub-inspector Narayan Singh and three constables, had surrendered before the Danta court Friday and were in judicial custody.

Tulsiram, an associate of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, was killed in a suspected staged shootout in December 2006, in a joint operation by the Gujarat and the Rajasthan police. He was the only eye-witness to Sohrabuddin’s killing.