10.2.2012 (UNI) Gujarat High Court today accepted an unconditional apology by the state government on the issue of transfer of three IPS officers involved in the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case of 2004.

A Division Bench of Justices Jayant Patel and Abhilasha Kumari, who had last year issued contempt notice to the state government for delay in the transfer, directed the Minister of State for Home Praful Patel to file an undertaking within two week's time assuring the court that it will not delay the implementation of the court order in future.

In its contempt notice, the court had asked the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Balvant Singh to explain why the contempt of court proceeding be not initiated against the state government for delaying the transfer of three IPS officers P P Pandey, G L Singhal and Tarun Barot from their then position until April 19.

The court observed that the government effected the transfer only after the reconstruction of Ishrat Jahan encounter was carried out by the probe agency.

Ishrat Jahan, a college girl from Mumbai and three others-Javed Sheikh alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjad Ali Rana and Zeeshan Johar-were gunned down by Gujarat police in a fake encounter on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on June 15, 2004. UNI