New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Monday refused to stay the dismissal of Gujarat IPS officer Satish Chandra Verma, who had assisted the CBI in its probe into the alleged fake encounter of Ishrat Jahan in Gujarat.
“Consequently, we are not inclined to stay or interdict the order of dismissal dated 30.08.2022 at this stage,” a division bench of Justices Sanjeev Sachdeva and Tushar Rao Gedela said in the order.
The court also asked the Centre to file a reply in the matter within eight weeks and rejoinder within fourt weeks thereafter. The matter will be further heard on January 24 next year.
Verma was dismissed from service on August 30, ahead of his superannuation on September 30.
The charges included interacting “with public media” when he was Chief Vigilance Officer of the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation, Shillong.
The court noted that “it is not in dispute that the petitioner (Verma) had given an interview to a news channel pertaining to the aspects which were not within the sphere of his duties at the time when the interview was given. The interview also pertained to aspects which were sub-judice”.
He had probed the 2004 Ishrat Jahan case between April 2010 and October 2011 and on his investigation report, a special investigation team held it was a fake encounter.
Earlier, Verma had also approached the apex court after the high court allowed the Home Ministry to take action against him in view of a departmental inquiry, which proved the charges against him.
–IANS