Haren Pandya murder case: Gujarat govt to challenge ruling in Supreme Court

Gujarat government Tuesday informed the High Court it would move the Supreme Court against its order of dropping murder charges against the accused in the Haren Pandya murder case.

"The state government is going to appeal the Gujarat high court order of August 29, 2011 in the Supreme Court," the special public prosecutor JM Panchal representing the state government told justice RH Shukla who was hearing the petition of Pandya's wife demanding re-investigation in the case.

Jagruti Pandya, wife of Haren, a former Minister of State for Home in Gujarat's BJP government, had filed a petition in the High Court last week seeking reinvestigation in the murder of her husband who was shot dead on March 26, 2003, when he had gone for a morning walk.

Gujarat High Court in its order on August 29 dropped charges of murder against 12 persons convicted for the killing of Haren Pandya while upholding the charges of criminal conspiracy and terrorism under POTA against them awarded by the trial court.