Strong allegations of flawed trial surface as CBI opts against appealing acquittal of 22 accused individuals.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has informed the Bombay High Court of its decision not to challenge the 2018 acquittal of 22 individuals implicated in the alleged staged killings of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his aide, Tulsiram Prajapati. This announcement was made during a court session on Wednesday, where Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh represented the CBI.
Sohrabuddin Sheikh, identified as a wanted criminal, was killed by the Gujarat Police in what is alleged to have been a staged encounter in November 2005. Along with his wife, Kauser Bi, Sheikh was traveling from Hyderabad to Sangli, Maharashtra, when they were reportedly intercepted by the police from both Gujarat and Rajasthan. Following their abduction, the couple was allegedly murdered near Gandhinagar, with disturbing accounts suggesting that Kauser Bi was raped before her death.
Tulsiram Prajapati, the only witness to these murders, was in police custody at the time of the incident. He was subsequently killed in another encounter in December 2006, during which the police claimed he attempted to escape. The case against the accused was brought forward based on the premise that the police had orchestrated these encounters.
A special CBI court acquitted all accused individuals in December 2018, concluding that the prosecution had not sufficiently demonstrated a conspiracy beyond reasonable doubt. Notably, among those acquitted was Amit Shah, a prominent leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party and currently the Union home minister.
During the trial, a total of 210 witnesses were examined, out of which 92 were declared hostile, complicating the prosecution’s case further. Following the acquittal, Sheikh’s brothers, Rubabuddin Sheikh and Nayabuddin Sheikh, approached the High Court in April 2019 to contest the verdict. They alleged that the trial process was flawed and raised concerns regarding the accuracy of witness statements that were recorded.
As the matter was presented in court, the bench comprising Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad directed the appellants to compile and submit a detailed chart. This chart should identify the specific witnesses whose statements, according to the appellants, were not accurately recorded during the trial. The next hearing for this case is scheduled for October 15, where further developments may unfold regarding these allegations and the implications of the CBI’s recent stance.
