The Supreme Court on Monday directed a Government Order dismissing Satish Chandra Verma, an IPS officer who helped the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case, be kept in abeyance for a week.
"We are of the view that in the facts of this case, the interests of justice would require that order passed by the respondent (Union) dismissing the appellant is not to be implemented till one week from today," a Bench led by Justice K.M. Joseph recorded.
Mr. Verma's dismissal came on August 30, a month before he was due to retire on September 30. A departmental enquiry had found him guilty of charges including "interacting with public media".
Meanwhile, the Bench gave Mr. Verma liberty to approach the Delhi High Court. The High Court would consider the question of staying or even quashing the order of dismissal. A dismissal would affect his post-retirement benefits.
Mr. Verma had probed the high-profile Ishrat Jahan case of 2004 between April 2010 and October 2011. Jahan, a resident of Mumbra near Mumbai, and three others, were allegedly killed on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on June 15, 2004. The deceased were dubbed as Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists who were accused of having plotted to kill the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Based on his investigation report, a Special Investigation Team had concluded that the encounter was "fake".
The Gujarat High Court had later directed the CBI to probe the case and avail Mr. Verma's services.
