Sohrabuddin Shaikh encounter: Special CBI court to deliver verdict today

Mumbai, Dec 21: The Special CBI court in Mumbai will deliver its verdict in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh and Tulsiram Prajapati encounter cases today.

In all 210 witnesses were examined in the case. Once the final arguments were completed, orders were reserved. The verdict is expected tomorrow as the Special Judge is set to retire by the end of this month.

The CBI contended in court that the entire trial had been hampered by hostile witnesses.

The agency also said that it had taken over the probe in 2010 from the Gujarat CID and most of the evidence that was placed on record was a result of the probe conducted by the CBI.

Deposition of witnesses took place after 12 years, many of the witnesses stated that they could not remember the details and our star witnesses turned hostile. Thus, the entire chain of evidence has gone wrong and as a result we could not bring direct evidence, the CBI also submitted.

The CBI chargesheet said that BJP president Amit Shah and then home minister of Rajasthan, Gulab Chand Kataria were part of a nexus of politicians and criminals. There were 38 accused in all, but 16 including Shah were discharged in the case.

The judge would also take a call on the applications filed by two witnesses, who had sought re-examination.

The application has been filed by Azam Khan, a gangster currently lodged in a jail in Rajasthan and Mahendra Zala, a petrol pump owner. Khan has stated that he had been tortured for nearly 20 days before he appeared before the court, and because of threats he could not name several IPS officers and politicians involved in the case.

Zala on the other hand had told the court that his statement was recorded under Section 164 of the CrPC, but the same was not produced before the court.