Will CBI move plea to continue with judge Mohite-Dere?

MUMBAI: In yet another twist in the staged encounter case of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, the assignment of the Bombay HC judge, who was hearing all the pleas challenging the discharge of IPS officials, was changed.

Shocking is the fact that the concerned judge – Justice Revati Mohite-Dere – was hearing the applications since February 9 on a day-to-day basis. Till Saturday, Justice Mohite-Dere heard the applications extensively every day in the afternoon session for nearly two hours. However, what needs to be looked at now is whether CBI would move a plea before Acting Chief Justice Vijaya Tahilramani, to continue with the bench of Justice Mohite-Dere.

Going by the proceedings conducted till date, it is not likely for the CBI to move such a plea before ACJ Tahilramani, as Justice Mohite-Dere has pulled up the agency several times for not assisting her to understand the facts and the overall case of the prosecution against all the accused.

Justice Mohite-Dere had even slammed advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, representing accused Pandiyan, who claimed a ‘politically’ motivated CBI had framed the IPS officials in the case in 2005. “Is it the same reason (of CBI being politically motivated) today that the CBI is not at all assisting this court,” Justice MohiteDere had remarked while criticising the agency and the accused.

However, whether the CBI would move such a plea or if Rubabuddin would undertake such an endeavour, is not yet clear as none from both the sides were available to comment on this.