CBI court likely to deliver verdict in Sohrabuddin Shaikh 'fake' encounter case today.
On November 23, 2005, Sohrabuddin Shaikh, a wanted criminal, his wife Kauserbi and aide Tulsiram Prajapati were allegedly abducted while travelling from Hyderabad to Sangli in Maharashtra. Shaikh and Kauserbi were taken to Gujarat, while Prajapati was arrested from Bhilwara in Rajasthan. According to the accused, Shaikh was a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative and was on his way to Gujarat to “assassinate a big political leader”.
Shaikh was killed on November 26, 2005 near Ahmedabad. His wife, three days later, Prajapati was killed near the Gujarat-Rajasthan border on December 27, 2006.
The defence, however, alleges that the encounter was staged.
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The CBI took over the case in 2010. There were 38 accused at the point, including now BJP president Amit Shah. From 2014 to 2017, 16 of the 38 were discharged, including all the IPS officers and ministers. Of the 210 witnesses examined through the course of the trial, at least 92 turned hostile.
The remaining 22 accused await judgment today. They are accused of conspiracy and murder among other charges.
Reaction of retired Superintendent of Police NK Amin on Sohrabuddin Shaikh encounter case verdict. Amin was a co-accused in this case who was discharged by CBI court.
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Special Judge S J Sharma has said the CBI failed to prove its case; the circumstantial evidence was not substantial to suggest or establish the alleged conspiracy.
The case pertains to the the alleged abduction and killing of Sohrabuddin Shaikh, a wanted criminal, his wife Kauserbi and aide Tulsiram Prajapati on November 23, 2005. According to the accused, Shaikh was a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative and was on his way to Gujarat to “assassinate a big political leader”.
All 22 accused have been acquitted in the case, no charge could be proved against anyone. The Court has accepted that Sohrabuddin died of bullet injuries but it could not be proved that the accused were allegedly involved. In the matter of the Kausar Bi case, the court mentioned that the prosecutor is not responsible for witnesse turning hostile, says defence lawyer after CBI court's verdict.
The Special CBI Court in Mumbai has found that the government and prosecution put in a lot of effort; 210 witnesses were brought in but satisfactory evidence didn't come up and witnesses turned hostile. No fault of the prosecutor if witnesses don't speak, it adds.
All 22 accused in the alleged Sohrabuddin fake encounter case have been acquitted of all charges including murder, criminal conspiracy. A Special CBI court in Mumbai says the prosecution could not prove a nexus between the accused with the alleged offence.