Twist in the tale: Sohrabuddin Sheikh case witness seeks stay on verdict

Mumbai, Dec 12: In a fresh twist a prosecution witness has moved the Bombay High Court seeking a stay on the verdict in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case. The special CBI court is set to pronounce the verdict on December 21.

The witness, Rizwana Khan has said that the trial has ben closed post haste, without the testimony of several witnesses not being recorded as yet. This weakens the case, she said and also added that the case as it is amounts to a mistrial.

She said that the petition has been filed on behalf of her husband, Azam Khan also a prosecution witness in the case. She said that her family had been threatened and pressured to influence their deposition in court.

Khan had on November 3 deposed in court that he was a member of the same gang as Sheikh. He had claimed that Tulsiram Prajapati, also killed in another encounter had killed the then home minister of Gujarat, Haren Pandya in 2003 on Sheikh's orders. Rizwana said that her husband had shared more information, which was not presented during the trial.

When Sohrabuddin Sheikh went against the wishes of Abhay Chudasama, D G Vanzara and other officers involved in this enterprise, he was killed in a conspiracy which had the involvement of politicians and police officers from Gujarat and Rajasthan, her plea states.

She also said that Sheikh had been filed due to pressure from higher ups in the Gujarat government as well as the then Rajasthan home minister.

She said that her husband now behind bars has mustered the courage to come forward and reiterate his statement only after he was accorded protection last month based on the orders of the Rajasthan high court.