Sohrabuddin case: one more person discharged
Mumbai Mirror Bureau
Months after BJP president Amit Shah was discharged as an accused in the case, a special CBI court on Tuesday discharged one more person accused of destruction of evidence in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter.
Ajay Patel, a senior office-bearer at the Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank, was taken into custody in November 2011. His lawyer argued that his client had no role to play and the case of conspiracy could not made out against him from a sting operation on builder brothers Raman and Dashrath Patel - who, it is alleged, were made to file a false case of extortion against Sohrabuddin.
Apart from Shah, the special CBI court has dropped charges against Rajasthan home minister Gulab Chand Kataria, businessman Vimal Patni, and Gujarat top cops including Geetha Johri.
The time period for appeal against Shah’s discharge recently lapsed, with the CBI not appealing to the high court against the CBI court’s order.
According to the CBI, Sohrabuddin and his wife Kauser Bi were abducted by the Gujarat police’s Anti-Terrorism Squad in November 2005 and killed in a staged encounter near Gandhinagar. Sohrabuddin was alleged to have demanded protection money from a businessman.
According to the CBI, Tulsiram Prajapati, an eyewitness to the fake encounter, was also killed by the police in another fake encounter at Chapri village in Banaskantha district of Gujarat in December 2006. Both cases are being heard simultaneously in the Mumbai court.
Months after BJP president Amit Shah was discharged as an accused in the case, a special CBI court on Tuesday discharged one more person accused of destruction of evidence in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter.
Ajay Patel, a senior office-bearer at the Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank, was taken into custody in November 2011. His lawyer argued that his client had no role to play and the case of conspiracy could not made out against him from a sting operation on builder brothers Raman and Dashrath Patel - who, it is alleged, were made to file a false case of extortion against Sohrabuddin.
It was alleged that the Patel brothers paid a huge sum to Shah in instalments through Ajay. But it turned out that on some of the dates claimed for payment, Patel wasn’t even in the country.
Apart from Shah, the special CBI court has dropped charges against Rajasthan home minister Gulab Chand Kataria, businessman Vimal Patni, and Gujarat top cops including Geetha Johri.
The time period for appeal against Shah’s discharge recently lapsed, with the CBI not appealing to the high court against the CBI court’s order.
According to the CBI, Sohrabuddin and his wife Kauser Bi were abducted by the Gujarat police’s Anti-Terrorism Squad in November 2005 and killed in a staged encounter near Gandhinagar. Sohrabuddin was alleged to have demanded protection money from a businessman.
According to the CBI, Tulsiram Prajapati, an eyewitness to the fake encounter, was also killed by the police in another fake encounter at Chapri village in Banaskantha district of Gujarat in December 2006. Both cases are being heard simultaneously in the Mumbai court.
