Sohrabuddin case: 22 accused let off for want of proof

CBI COURT VERDICT Sorry for lives lost but no evidence established, says judge; brother of deceased to move SC

MUMBAI: All remaining 22 accused, mostly junior level police officers, in the alleged encounter killings of gangster Sohrabuddin Sheikh, his wife Kausar Bi, and associate, Tulsiram Prajapati, were acquitted on Friday by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court, which cited insufficient evidence even as it expressed sorrow over the loss of three lives.

Several others have already been discharged in the case. At one point, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah was arrested with regard to the case (and released on bail), but he was discharged in December 2014.

Other high profile accused discharged in the case are former Rajasthan home minister Gulab Chand Kataria and police officers from three states, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, including two former Gujarat director generals of police PC Pande and Geeta Johri and deputy inspector general DG Vanzara.

“I feel sorry for the families, since three lives were lost, but I am helpless,” said additional sessions judge SJ Sharma on Friday, pointing out that the “system requires courts to go strictly by substantive evidence on record and there is no substantial evidence” to hold the accused guilty in the case.

The judge, who delivered his last judgment before retiring, said that on the basis of evidence on the record, he could not hold the accused responsible for the death of Sheikh and Kausar Bi.

“When this court ultimately went through all the evidence and testimonies on record, it concluded that no case of conspiracy could be established. Also, no link between these 22 persons and the three deaths could be established,” he said.

Sheikh’s brother, Rubabuddin Sheikh, who was present in court on Friday, said he was disappointed at the verdict and would contest it in the Supreme Court.

CBI spokesperson RK Gaur declined comment on the grounds that the agency had not received a copy of the order. After the judge pronounced the verdict, all the accused, who were present in court, congratulated and hugged each other.