Staged shootout: Charges framed against Rajasthan IPS officer

Jaipur, May 1 (IANS) A court here Tuesday framed charges against suspended Indian Police Service (IPS) officer A.K. Jain in the case of killing of criminal Dara Singh in a staged shoot-out, a lawyer said.

Jain had surrendered before a court in Jaipur on Feb 27, nine months after he disappeared fearing arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

"After the cognizance of his chargesheet was taken, the district and sessions court, Jaipur determined charges against him under various sections of Indian Penal Code. Trial against him will be held under these sections," said CBI's special public prosecutor Sarfaraz Haider Khan.

IPC sections against Jain include section 120B (criminal conspiracy), to be read with sections 302 (murder), 346 (wrongful confinement) and 364 (kidnapping in order to murder).

Jain is among the two IPS officers who are accused in the case. IPS officer A. Ponnuchami had been arrested in May last year.

The CBI has also arrested Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Rajendra Singh Rathore at whose alleged behest, Dara Singh was gunned down in the fake gunfight on Oct 23, 2006.

Apart from Ponnuchami, the CBI arrested ten other policemen -- Additional Superintendent of Police Arsad Ali, Inspectors Nisar Khan, Naresh Sharma and Subhash Godara, sub-inspectors Satyanarayan Godara and Munshi Lal, assistant sub-inspector Surendra Singh, constables Jagraj and Bardi Prasad and driver Sardar Singh -- in the case.

Three other policemen - Rajesh Chaudhary, Zulfikar and Arvind - are still on the run.