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Special CBI judge SJ Sharma on Friday acquitted all 22 people who were accused in the fake encounter case of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, wife Kausar Bi and his associate Tulsi Prajapati. Due to lack of documentary and substantive evidence the conspiracy could not be established in front of the court. Around 92 witnesses turned hostile out of the 210 witnesses who were examined. It is significant to note that 16 accused were discharged from the case after the advocates for all the 22 accused finished their arguments.
Amit Shah who was then Home Minister of Gujarat, Gulab Chand Kataria who was then Rajasthan Home Minister and RajkumarPandiyan were also discharged.
Sohrabuddin along with his wife and associate was travelling on Hyderabad-Sangli bus route. They were allegedly abducted by a team of policemen attached to Gujarat’s ATS and members of the Special Task Force from Rajasthan. Shaikh was killed in a fake encounter and wife was detained at a private farm near Gandhinagar who too was later killed along with Tulsiram.
This case was first heard by Judge JT Utpat and the investigation of the case was transferred from CID to CBI in 2010.
Judge Sharma also observed: “Sohrabuddin died due to bullet injuries that are also substantiated by the post-mortem report but whether these accused were authors of the said crime could not be substantiated. There is circumstantial evidence but no substantial evidence. Three main witnesses in the case turned hostile. If the government lawyer did his best to prove the case of prosecution, but if witnesses don’t talk, what can the prosecution do.”
Judge Sharma has also apologized to the families of all the deceased and mentioned that the way the case was presented before the court no substantial and substantive evidence could prove the magnitude of the case.
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