Trial on perjury charges against Zahira and others start tomorrow

Mumbai, May 9 (UNI) Trial in the perjury case against Zahira Sheikh, the prime witness in the Best Bakery case of Gujarat, and her three family members will begin tomorrow after they pleaded not ''not guilty'' to the charges in the court of Additional Sessions Judge Abhay Thipsay today.

Taking on record their plea, Mr Thipsay said the trial in the perjury case will begin from tomorrow.

Zahira and her family members were served with perjury notices for giving misleading evidences during the re-trial in the Best Bakery case, which was presided over by Mr Thipsay.

While Zahira remained silent when the judge asked about the 15 false statements she had given during the re-trial in the case, her mother Sehrunnisa, sister Sahirbanu and brother Nasibulla maintained that their evidences, as per their knowledge, were true.

Zahira's counsel moved an application on her behalf, seeking an adjournment of the proceedings, stating that his client wanted to file appropriate replies and sought a month's time.

The judge, however, rejected the plea saying, ''I had given enough time.'' On April 27, as sought by Zahira and others, Judge Thipsay had granted time till May nine to enable them to go through their statements and make up their mind for their replies.

The Court had also explained to each of them what false evidences they had given at the time of re-trial and also supplied particulars about it.

The perjury notice was issued u/s 344 of CrPC to Zahira, her mother, sister and brother, while the court sentenced nine accused to life imprisonment, acquitted eight out of the total of 21. Four of them are absconding.

Zahira, meanwhile, is serving one year's imprisonment at the Byculla jail here for contempt of court, awarded by the Supreme Court on March eight.

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