Geetha Johri has become the first woman to take over as the Director General of Police (DGP) in Gujarat. Johri was chargesheeted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for her alleged role in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter.
A special CBI court had in 2015 dropped charges against Johri after it failed to obtain the mandatory sanction from the Gujarat government for prosecution of an IPS officer.
DGP Geetha Johri was chargesheeted by CBI for her role in Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter, discharged by court in 2015 @IndianExpress @lynnmis
— satish jha (@satishjha) April 4, 2017
It was Johri who had filed a first investigation report (FIR) in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case and the sudden disappearance of his wife Kausar Bi in the Supreme Court. This FIR led to the arrest of three IPS officers, including DG Vanzara and the two others from Rajasthan.
Johri was appointed as the DGP after her predecessor PP Pandey stepped down from the post amid a petition in the Supreme Court. Pandey is accused of his role in the killing of Ishrat Jahan and three others. The Supreme Court had on Monday directed the state government to accept Pandey’s resignation.
Former police officer Julio Francis Ribeiro had sought the removal of Pandey stating that the CBI had filed a chargesheet against him and others in the alleged fake encounter killing of Ishrat Jahan. His appointment as and extension as DGP and IGP was also challenged by Ribeiro.
A 1982-batch IPS officer, Johri, is presently posted as managing director, Gujarat Police Housing Corporation, Gandhinagar.
She has also been charged with defying orders from her superiors in September 1992 during the arrest of don Abdul Latif’s aide Sharif Khan.
