SC to take up Amit Shah's plea Monday

The Supreme Court will Monday hear BJP leader Amit Shah's plea seeking modification of its order asking him to report to the CBI office every alternate Saturday after he was allowed to enter Gujarat following the trial in Sohrabuddin Sheikh staged shooting case being shifted to Mumbai.

As senior counsel M.N.Krishnamani pointed to the court about the plea of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, an accused in the case, a bench of Chief Justice P. Sathasivam and Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai observed that it was nearly a year ago when the order stipulating the condition was passed.

However, it adjourned the hearing till Monday for further consideration.

A bench of Justice Aftab Alam (since retired) and Justice Desai Sep 27, 2012, while lifting its order restraining the former Gujarat minister for state of home from entering the state, had asked him to report to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on every alternate week.

Amit Shah who is now national BJP general secretary and inchage of party's Uttar Pradesh affairs, has submitted that he has scrupulously complied with the condition till date and also with other conditions.

Shah has contended that the object of the conduction was to ensure his presence at the time of trial and till the competent magistrate has not taken cognizance of the alleged crime.

That this stage is now crossed as a magistrate has taken the cognizance and case has been committed to session court and it is seized of it, said Shah's application, adding that no prejudice would be caused to any part if the said condition was deleted.

The application said that there was no apprehension that he would "flee from the justice, or would become an outlaw and would not be available for trial if the condition requiring him to report before the CBI is deleted for the order dated Sep 27, 2012".