IPS officers who took on Gujarat govt cleared for Centre deputation

Additional chief secretary, home, S K Nanda confirmed, “We have sent recommendations for IPS officers of the additional DGP and IGP ranks who expressed their willingness to move to the Centre. These names have been sent to the MHA. A review is pending for these names on the allotment to agencies.”

Rai, when posted with CID (crime), had arrested IPS officers D G Vanzara, Rajkumar Pandian and Rajasthan’s Dinesh M N in 2007 for their alleged involvement in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter and the killing of his wife Kauser Bi. They were also arraigned in the Tulsiram Prajapati encounter case later. Shah was chargesheeted in these fake encounters, carried out in 2005 and 2006.

Verma was a part of the High Court appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) that probed the Ishrat Jahan encounter, which led to action against IPS officer ADGP P P Pandey and other police officials. He was the first officer who filed an affidavit in the Gujarat HC in January 2011 terming the encounter fake.

He is currently fighting the state government before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) over being posted in Junagadh, a decision he called “arbitrary and illegal” and part of a “concerted plan” to “harass” him.

Rai, too, had to fight it out before the CAT against the downgrading of his annual confidential report by his seniors. After a long battle, Rai was promoted to the rank of IGP last year.

Sharma, the chief of the STF probing 17 Gujarat encounters, is currently probing the Sameer Khan Pathan case of 2002. He featured in taped conversations aired by news portals Cobrapost and Gulail regarding the alleged snooping on a woman by Shah at the behest of ‘saheb’.

Sources said Sharma is likely to be posted as joint secretary in the MHA.