The special CBI Court today granted bail to Suspended IPS officer PP Pandey in the 2004 fake encounter case of Ishrat Jahan and three others. Special Judge KR Upadhyaya granted bail to Additional Director General of Police Pandey on executing a personal bond of Rs one lakh with two surety bonds. Pandey was in jail for 18 months since July 2013 when he surrendered before the court.

The CBI court also directed Pandey, who was the Joint Police Commissioner of the city at the time of fake shootout in 2004, to submit his passport and asked him not to leave the country without its prior permission. 

The court has also put a condition that Pandey will not make any attempt which can hamper the investigation of the case and also will not try to influence any witness associated with the case. Pandey has to appear before the CBI court on every Thursday and he has to remain present during the trial, the court order said.

Mumbra-based 19-year-old college girl Ishrat Jahan, Pranesh Pillai alias Javed Sheikh, Amjad Ali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed by Ahmedabad crime branch sleuths in an encounter on the outskirts of the city on June 15, 2004. According to CBI, it was a fake encounter orchestrated jointly by Gujarat police and IB.