Sehrunissa's memory fails in court

Mumbai, May 15 (UNI) Best Bakery case prime witness Zahira Sheikh's mother Sehrunissa today failed to recall what she had stated before the court at the time of her deposition during retrial into the bakery carnage case here.

Sehrunissa, while deposing before the special court of judge Abhay Thipsay which heard the perjury case against Zahira and three others of her family, said she could not remember what she had told the court during the retrial.

When reminded that she had stated in her evidence that she along with her family had come to Chhatrapati Shivaji Termius from Mira Road by an autorickshaw and lodged a complaint, she said ''Mai bhool gayee hoo kya bola tha (I have forgotten what I had stated).'' The court told her twice that if she did not want to say anything she could state so and there was no complusion on her.

After completing the examination, Judge Thipsay said the court will deliver the verdict tomorrow.

Judge Thipsay had issued perjury notices under Section 344 CrPC to Zahira, Sehrunissa, sister Sahirabanu and brother Nassibullah.

The court had sentenced nine accused in the Best Bakery carnage case to life imprisonment and acquitted eight others. The seventeen had been re-arrested after their acquittal by a fast track court in Vadodara due to lack of evidence. Four others are still absconding.

Zahira, meanwhile, is serving a year's imprisonment at the Byculla jail here for contempt of court, awarded by the Supreme Court on March 8.

UNI ST MAZ RL HS1948