SC appoints prosecutor, ends Best deadlock

From a list of four advocates proposed by victim Zaheera Sheikh, the bench directed the Gujarat government to appoint P.R. Vakil as special public prosecutor and Manjula Rao as associate public prosecutor in the matter. The notification, due to be issued by the next date of hearing in the Mumbai court, will supersede the existing arrangement in which the public prosecutor appointed by the Gujarat government was one Atul Mehta.

In the earlier hearing, Justice Pasayat had made scathing observations against the Gujarat government for Mehta’s opposition in the trial court to warrants being issued against seven of the 21 accused persons yet to be arrested.

‘‘Such a person should not continue. The trial court wants to issue NBW but the public prosecutor opposes it. You are showing your true colours from the first day,’’ Justice Pasayat had said.

The Supreme Court also asked the Gujarat government to clarify within four weeks what steps it has taken against those allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case.