mumbai

Updated: Aug 17, 2017 12:35 IST

Encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma, whose career spanning 25 years in the city’s police force has seen him kill 113 underworld gangsters, was reinstated by the Maharashtra government on Wednesday. Sharma, who has also been an inspiration for many Bollywood films, was dismissed from service in August 2008.

The government had invoked Section 311 of the Constitution against him, following several months of departmental action, including departmental inquiries, suspension for prolonged periods, and even a transfer to a remote district in Maharashtra, which Sharma refused to take up citing health grounds.

Sharma was unceremoniously ousted from the police force as he was allegedly in touch with the underworld, and after his name cropped up in the 2006 Lakhan Bhaiyya fake encounter case. Later, in 2010, Sharma was arrested for his involvement in the case, but was acquitted of all charges by a Mumbai court in July 2013.

Since then, Sharma has wanted to be reinstated, said police sources. A senior IPS officer, requesting anonymity, confirmed the development and said that Sharma was asked to report to the Maharashtra Director General of Police’s (DGP) office. At the time of going to press, Sharma was yet to be given an official posting.