Zaheera's petition to be heard in open court next week: SC

New Delhi, Nov 7 (UNI) The Supreme Court today directed that the petition filed by a key prosecution witness in the Best Bakery case Zaheera Sheikh, seeking exemption from paying the fine of Rs 50000 imposed by the apex court, will be heard in open court next week.

Zaheera was sentenced to a one-year simple imprisonment along with the fine after she was convicted for contempt of the court by filing a false and misleading affidavit.

She is already serving the sentence in the Maharashtra jail.

In her petition filed through her counsel D K Garg, Zaheera had pleaded for waiving the fine on the grounds of her inability to pay the same due to abject poverty.

A bench headed by Justice Arijit Pasayat had also ordered the Income Tax department to freeze her bank account.

In 2002, 14 people were burnt alive during the Gujarat communal riots, sparked off in the aftermath of the Godhra incident in which 52 Kar Sewaks were charred to death.

UNI AKS/SC HS BS1736