Sohrab case: HC grant anticipatory bail to close aides of Shah

Following the order,they will have to be present before the CBI at its office in Gandhinagar or Mumbai.

The duo,close aides of former Gujarat minister Shah and also office-bearers of the Ahmedabad District Cooperative (ADC) bank,have been absconding after their names appeared in the chargesheet filed by CBI in the case.

Their counsel J M Panchal during his argument in the High Court had contended that Chudasama and Patel were not involved in the fake encounter which took place in November 2005,and their names cropped up only after CBI took over the probe.

Panchal had further argued that his clients could be booked for an attempt to destroy evidence which was a bailable offence. He had submitted his clients were not remotely connected with the fake encounter conspiracy,extortion and murder of witnesses as mentioned in the CBI chargesheet.

CBI had opposed the contentions and said that since a non-bailable warrant was pending against them,anticipatory bail cannot be granted.

It had further submitted that the duo were mainly accused under IPC section 201 (destruction of evidence) which is to be read with offence 302 (murder),120 B (conspiracy),364,365 and 368 (all related to kidnapping),384 (extortion) and other sections.

It had further submitted the duo were accused in serious offence of a triple murder involving Sohrabuddin who was killed in a fake encounter,while his wife Kausar Bi and one Tulsiram Prajapati,who were witnesses,were eliminated.

According to the chargesheet filed by the CBI,Amit Shah directed Patel and another accused Abhay Chudasama,his close confidants,to “convince,coerce,threaten,influence the witnesses on his behalf to conceal the truth from CBI,about the fake encounter of Sohrabuddin”.

Patel and Yashpal Chudasama had actively participated in the main conspiracy and the crime committed in furtherance to the conspiracy,the chargesheet had further said.