Caught On Tape – Gujarat Minister & Top Officials Admit Influencing Ishrat Jahan Investigation

Tehelka website has this evening(12th August) released the audio tapes and transcript of a recording done by GL Singhal - an accused police officer in the Ishrat Jehan fake encounter case, in November 2011. This audio recording is listed of the CBI chargesheet filed before the CBI court in Ahmedabad. The transcript reveals that senior Ministers, bureaucrats, officers of the Gujarat state, and the senior most Law Officer- the Advocate General of Gujarat (Mr. Kamal Trivedi), colluded and held a joint meeting with the accused and their lawyers, to craft a joint strategy to interfere and thwart the investigation of the SIT appointed by the Gujarat High Court. They are all avidly discussing how to prevent any further investigation into the killings and how to defend the accused cops. 

The Advocate General who holds a constitutional position has completely compromised his office. Clearly all checks and balances envisaged under the constitutional framework have been subverted in Gujarat. Is this the model being held out for the country?

No TV channel is carrying the story. Is the Nation not interested in the issue of justice in Gujarat. Will any institution take suo moto notice of this subversion of the constitutional framework?

Please see-

A key aide to  Chief Minister Narendra  who was then a minister had told a closed-door meeting of confidantes on 19 November 2011 that he had tried to influence a police officer investigating the  killing of  and three other men in 2004 to go easy on the police officers involved in it.
“I had called up (investigating police officer) Satish Verma to my house despite knowing the dangers of it,” the then Minister of State for Home Praful Patel is heard saying in an audio recording of the conversation that one of the participants, police officer GL Singhal who is now an accused in the case, had secretly made. “I had spoken to him (Verma) for more than four hours and had told him to help these 18 persons (who were involved in the ).”
The audio recording is now in exclusive possession to Tehelka. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)  has submitted these tapes to the trial court in a sealed envelope. The high court had in 2009 made Verma a part of a Special Investigative Team it set up to investigate the . Two days after the meeting where the secret audio recording was made, the SIT filed its report before the court in which it concluded that the  was fake.
Besides Patel and Singhal, others in that meeting included  Advocate-General Kamal Trivedi; senior IAS officer and  confidante GC Murmu; Singhal’s lawyer Rohit Verma; then minister of state for law Pradipsinh Jadeja, another accused police officer Tarun Barot; and then Ahmedabad Crime Branch joint commissioner AK Sharma.
In the audio recording, Singhal is heard voicing concern that if the high court accepts the SIT’s report and orders for an  to be filed, then many police offices who had earlier given statements supporting the claim that the  was genuine might wilt. “We have done tremendous damage control in past one year. They (SIT) have taken statements of 300 people but only 2 statements went against us. The remaining 298 statements remained consistent despite the fact that they were called several times,” Singhal says. However, if a fresh  is registered many of them will be rattled. Their confidence is very high but they may change if the SIT gets an option.”
The then law minister Jadeja tells the others in the meeting that Amit Shah, who was the minister of state for home before Patel but had to resign after being named in another , was constantly following the case and is on the phone time and again.
Tehelka had in July broken the exclusive story that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which was asked by the high court to prosecute the officers involved, would be interrogating IB director Rajinder Kumar for his role in the Ishrat Jehan . The CBI filed its chargesheet in the case on 4 July.
SIT Chargesheet tape transcript
Persons identified: Kamal Trivedi (KT) (Advocate General), Rohit Verma (RV) (lawyer friend of G L Singhal), G L Singhal (the accused police officer), G C Murmu (A) (Secretary in CMO), A K Sharma (AKS) (Joint Commissioner, Ahmedabad Crime Branch), Prafull Patel (PP) (then Minister of State for Home), Pradipsinh Jadeja (then Minister of State for Law), Tarun Barot (accused police officer)
(01:34)
Pradipsinh Jadeja: Matter is over etle nava j karva pade…
(01:44) 
Kamal Trivedi: Apade charcha Ghana vakhat kalako thee karata rahya che… 21mie je report aave (We have been discussing for past many hours… the report which is expected on 21st… ) Let’s assuming for a moment ke report apadi viruddh ma ache… first of all you know… we need to be represented by lawyers… every time government will not be able to speak… this is the time when government, of course, will be there but you shall have to speak at the top of your voice… ek suchan evu che ke apade 3 vakilo rakhva…(there is one suggestion that we should keep 3 lawyers)  nirupambhai tho che j (Nirupambhai is there already)… Tarun bhai ne Suryaprakash Raju representkare… (Suryaprakash Raju will represent Tarun Barot) badhi vaat kari hashe… ane bija vati bharat nayak ne rakho… (and others should be represented by Bharat Nayak) have first reaction apadu evu hovu joiye te vakhate… (at that time our first reaction should be…) you will be able to communicate with these three people and I will also talk… suppose the report is out and the court declares that as per this report… prima facie… it appears that the  was fake… the moment that word comes and at that time… there should be an objection perhaps we would like to appraise of this particular report as this is a very shocking thing… and for that purpose we need some time and would like to have a copy of this report be given to us so that at least today a pointer is raised against us and we would like to at least go through and whatever input we have we would like to submit… ultimately it’s the court’s discretion what to do… em karine ek… vakhat aa athvadiyu ke 10 divas thai jay evu karavano prayatn karvano… (In this manner we should try to seek time for a week or 10 days) if the court is very much adamant… we are not suppose to be giving to you then perhaps… the court will try to follow the same formula which was you know… followed in our case… let the report be treated as a report under 173 (2) and for that purpose… (Gulbarg case sorry) and let the metropolitan magistrate… with some observation that prima facie this appears to be so and so and so… and therefore the matter is being sent to the magistrate… and before that let Mr Verma prepare a consolidated report and that report be treated under 173 (2) and matter ends… at that time we should argue… we should not show that judgment… we should try to argue in a very funny way… which perhaps will not cut into your logic but… ke sahib aa tho preliminary inquiry che... It is not the investigation contemplated under court… so ultimately let it be given to the magistrate concern… let magistrate concern apply his mind… ultimately a magistrate is empowered to do whatever is said under Section 191… he may accept it… he may not accept it… he may direct further investigation by the police… em karine aa vastuwithout any observations from the court… we should challenge that sir, you can’t have any exposure as what should a magistrate do… what should magistrate do is written in so many words in black and white in code… let magistrate do…  (till 04:55)
(04:56)
(Rohit Verma has been a lawyer of G L Singhal in lower courts. He has been associated with many police officers who were arrested in the Sohrabuddin case, including Abhay Chudasma)
Rohit Verma: With due respect sir, we are also in the process to taking some sense… and one of the lawyers you referred to… we did take his sense today… his case is … since he has been associated with us since last two years (referring to Nirupam Nanavati).. his gut feeling is that the SIT will seek for registration of an … and what we have been advised… essentially… we have to legally advise this that… this is not the forum that you should ventilate your grievance… in any terms… go to Supreme Court and let’s see whatever happens..
(05:33)
Murmu (A) : That is what we are also thinking…
Rohit Verma: Because his apprehension is a judge who should have allowed your application in April… threw you out saying that you are proposed accused… you have no locus… he may not write certain things which will adversely affect you before the Supreme Court… despite the fact that you were not a party…
KT: Then let him do whatever he wants to do…
Rohit: And in fact this is the general advice…
A: thought… aa tho option che (this is an option)… first is that ke aamne report aapavo… nahee aape tho... inquiry j che... let it go to the court… e na kare tho aamne time aapolll.. (at least we will get the time)
KT: Let him commit blunder… (the judge).. read more:
Also see:




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