Politics · India Bureau
Family challenges acquittal of 22 in Sohrabuddin Shaikh encounter case
The family of slain Gujarat gangster Sohrabuddin Shaikh has moved the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court's acquittal of 22 accused, including 21 police officers, in the controversial 2005 encounter killing. The plea challenges the May 7 high court order that found insufficient evidence to prosecute those accused in the alleged fake encounter.
LSN India ·
Nayabuddin Shaikh, younger brother of Sohrabuddin, has filed a petition in the apex court seeking to overturn the acquittal order passed by the Bombay High Court last month. The high court had upheld a December 2018 judgment by a special Central Bureau of Investigation court in Mumbai that acquitted all accused in what has long been one of India's most contentious police encounter cases.
The 2005 incident resulted in the deaths of Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his wife, and their aide Tulsiram Prajapati. The case has drawn sustained scrutiny from human rights groups and legal observers over allegations that the Gujarat police staged a fake encounter to eliminate the gangster.
In its May 7 order, the high court noted that the prosecution case rested primarily on circumstantial evidence with several gaps in the chain of circumstances. The bench observed it found no grounds to interfere with the trial court's acquittal finding, effectively closing the case against the accused at the appellate level.
Among those acquitted were 21 junior-level police officers alongside one other accused. The case had involved multiple appeals and legal challenges over the years, reflecting the significant public concern surrounding the deaths of Sohrabuddin and his associates.