Bombay HC to begin final hearing in December on appeals against acquittal in Sohrabuddin Shaikh case
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court will hear final petitions against the acquittal of all 22 suspects in Sohrabuddin Shaikh's alleged staged encounter in December. The appeals were filed in 2019 by Shaikh’s brothers, Rubabuddin and Nayabuddin. They termed the trial “flawed” and challenged the clearance granted to police personnel from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh.
A division bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad noted on Wednesday that the matter had remained pending for years, with only four hearings held in the past three years, as reported by The Indian Express . The bench observed that some of the acquitted accused had not appeared before the court during these hearings.
The court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation, which probed the case, to issue fresh notices to those who have not been appearing through counsel. The notices are to be served through officers in charge of the concerned police stations. The matter is expected to be heard on December 5.
A special CBI court in Mumbai acquitted all 22 suspects in the deaths of Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his wife Kauser Bi, and his assistant Tulsiram Prajapati on December 21, 2018. The trial court ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove accusations of conspiracy, murder and evidence destruction. He stated that the case failed primarily because key witnesses became hostile and 92 of the 210 witnesses examined during the trial recanted their previous claims.
The case dates back to November 23, 2005, when Shaikh, then wanted in several cases, Kauser Bi and Prajapati were allegedly abducted from a luxury bus travelling from Hyderabad to Sangli. According to the CBI’s case, Shaikh and Kauser Bi were taken to Gujarat, while Prajapati was later shown as arrested in Rajasthan. Shaikh was killed soon after in what investigators alleged was a staged encounter, followed weeks later by Prajapati’s killing. The CBI had also told the trial court that Kauser Bi was murdered and her body disposed of.
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Bengaluru: Four arrested for housebreaking, threats, extortion; fake PSI among accused
Bengaluru: Vidyaranyapura police have arrested four persons, including a man posing as a Police Sub-Inspector (PSI), for allegedly breaking into a house, threatening the occupants, and extorting money while wearing police uniforms.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mallikarjuna, Pramod, Vinay, and Hrithik.
Police said the accused had hatched a plan to pose as police personnel, conduct fake raids, and extort money from residents by intimidation.
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According to the police, Mallikarjuna had failed the PSI examination twice and later falsely projected himself as a PSI. He allegedly conducted photo shoots in his hometown, Siraguppa, wearing a police uniform, baton, cap, and shoes, claiming to be serving as a PSI in Bengaluru.
On December 7, the four accused allegedly went to the house of Naveen in the Vidyaranyapura limits, threatened him with a stick and an iron rod, and claimed they had information that he was selling ganja. Under the pretext of searching, they allegedly extorted ₹87,000 through bank transfer, ₹53,000 in cash kept in the house, and ₹2,000 from his wallet.
Following Naveen’s complaint, Vidyaranyapura police registered a case and launched an operation, leading to the arrest of all four accused. Police have seized ₹45,000 in cash and the car used to commit the crime.
Further investigation is underway.
