Padma Shri Awardee Exposes Political Interference in Ishrat Jahan Encounter Case

RVS Mani, a former officer of the Ministry of Home Affairs, has been awarded the Padma Shri for his distinguished contribution to civil service. He is notably recognized for his role in exposing contradictory affidavits filed by the UPA government in the 2009 Ishrat Jahan encounter case, highlighting political interference in a high-profile investigation.

Contradictory Affidavits
The first affidavit, filed on 6 August 2009, was based on precise intelligence inputs indicating that Ishrat Jahan was part of a Lashkar-e-Taiba module tasked with targeting senior Indian politicians. It included detailed accounts of the terrorist background of Ishrat, along with Javed Sheikh (Pranesh Pillai), Jishan Johar, and Amjad Ali, who were killed in the encounter on 15 June 2004 in Ahmedabad.

The second affidavit, submitted on 29 September 2009, dismissed these intelligence inputs as inconclusive and distanced the central government from the actions of the Gujarat government. While the first affidavit suggested that the case was unsuitable for a CBI investigation, the second allowed for an independent or CBI-led probe.

Mani’s Revelations
RVS Mani later publicly stated that the second affidavit was not authored by him; he had merely signed it under orders. He confirmed that the first affidavit accurately reflected the intelligence reports, which detailed the terrorist connections of the four individuals. Mani revealed that the modifications in the second affidavit were due to political intervention.

Parliamentary References
In 2016, then-Home Minister Rajnath Singh informed Parliament that the second affidavit had been vetted by the Attorney General and approved by the then Home Minister P. Chidambaram. Singh also cited testimony from David Coleman Headley, an American operative linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, confirming Ishrat Jahan as a female terrorist involved in a failed LeT operation.

Mani’s Work and Publications
During his tenure, Mani faced significant challenges and claims of harassment, including in 2013 when he appeared before the SIT chief. He has authored several books on political interference in counter-terrorism investigations, including The Myth of Hindu Terror: Insider Account of Ministry of Home Affairs and Deception: A Family That Deceived the Whole Nation.

RVS Mani’s Padma Shri award recognizes his courage and integrity in exposing attempts to manipulate sensitive intelligence and legal proceedings, underlining the importance of transparency and accountability in civil service.