Mumbai | The CBI special court on Friday acquitted all the 22 accused in the alleged Sohrabuddin Shiekh encounter case citing lack of evidence.
The court Special CBI judge observed in his order that all the witnesses and proofs are not satisfactory to prove conspiracy and murder, the court also observed that circumstantial evidence is not substantial. The Court further added that allegation that Tulsiram Prajapati was murdered through a conspiracy is not true. Acquitting the 22 accused in the Case, the Court said, “Govt machinery and prosecution put in a lot of effort, 210 witnesses were brought but satisfactory evidence didn’t come and witnesses turned hostile. No fault of the prosecutor if witnesses don’t speak.”
The Central Bureau of Investigation, which investigated the case, said the murders were a result of conspiracy for political and financial gains. Of the 38 people charged, 16 people – including BJP chief Amit Shah, former top cop DG Vanzara and other police officers — were discharged. Ninety-two prosecution witnesses had turned hostile.
A special CBI court had completed trial in the alleged fake encounter case of gangster Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his wife Kausar Bi and associate Tulsi Prajapati in which 22 people, including policemen from Gujarat and Rajasthan police, are accused.
Earlier the Bombay High Court had upheld the discharge granted to former Gujarat ATS chief D G Vanzara, Gujarat IPS officer Vipul Agarwal, and four others from Rajasthan and Gujarat Police in September. Later, in November, the HC dismissed a petition filed by the Bombay Lawyers Association questioning the CBI’s decision not to challenge the discharge granted to BJP chief Amit Shah in the case
Sohrabuddin Shiekh and his wife Kasur Bi died in an alleged fake encounter by the Gujarat Police in 2005. The trial court in 2017 discharged 16 out of 38 people for the two alleged encounters of Sohrabuddin and his associate Tulsiram Prajapati including DG Vanzara and BJP president Amit Shah.
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