Police seek time to file report; Geelani requests CBI probe

NEW DELHI, Feb 15 (UNI): The Supreme Court will hear on Tuesday next an application by Delhi University teacher S A R Geelani seeking a CBI probe into the murderous attack on him on February 8.

A bench comprising Justice P V Reddi and Justice P P Naolekar fixed the hearing when his counsel Kamini Jaiswal mentioned the filing of the application and sought an early hearing.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police, which was to file a report on the incident, sought some more time as there had been no substantial progress in the investigation.

Senior Counsel Gopal Subramanium, appearing for the police, told the court that the victim's statement was recorded only yesterday and the Delhi Police would be able to file the report only by next week.

A day after the attack in which Geelani was grievously injured, the apex court had directed Delhi Police Commissioner K K Paul to file a report on the incident within a week.

The Supreme court had expressed dismay and concern over the attack on Geelani whose acquittal in the Parliament attack case had been challenged before the apex court by the Delhi Police.

Earlier, during the resumed hearing on the appeal filed by the Delhi Police which investigated the December 13, 2001 attack on Parliament, senior Counsel Ram Jethmalani, appearing on behalf of Geelani, alleged that the prosecuting agency (police) itself was involved in the incident and sought a CBI investigation into the murderous attack on his client.

He pointed out that his client had filed an affidavit on March 14 last expressing apprehensions that he might be killed in a false encounter.

The apprehensions of his client proved true, he said pointing to the incident, just hours before the hearing, in which Geelani received multiple bullet injuries.

The Delhi University teacher had been reportedly shot at in the Vasant Enclave area in South Delhi where he had gone to meet his lawyer.

The Delhi Police had challenged a October 29, 2003 High Court order acquitting Geelani who had been awarded death sentence by the trial court.

The POTA court had found Geelani, who teaches Arabic at Delhi University, guilty of being involved in the conspiracy to launch an attack on Parliament on December 13, 2001.

While Geelani, Md Afzal and Shaukat Hussain Guru were awarded capital punishment, Shaukat's wife Afshan Guru was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment of five years by the trial court.

The High Court, which upheld the conviction and sentence of Afzal and Shaukat, had acquitted Geelani and Afshan.

The Delhi Police had moved the apex court against the order.