Court ruling on Shah worrisome, CBI under govt pressure: Cong

A special CBI court discharged Amit Shah in the case of Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter

The Congress party on Tuesday described as "strange and worrisome" the special CBI court discharging BJP chief Amit Shah in Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter killing case and alleged that there was "government pressure" on a "chained, caged and totally immobilised" CBI.

Recalling that there was earlier a judicial order that Shah should be kept away from Gujarat as he can influence the investigations, party spokesperson Ajoy Kumar wondered "suddenly you find that there has been a total u-turn ...Suddenly he is exonerated."

"So it is definitely worrisome... It is very strange," Kumar said wondering how can an evidence be produced to the court at one time that ensures that Shah is put behind bars, which is then followed by an order that asks to keep him away from Gujarat and then "suddenly a judgement that there is not enough evidence".

Asserting that it does not blunt the Congress attack on the issue, Kumar said that it just goes to show the way that the present government is going to "use the CBI".

Kumar recalled that the BJP used to say during UPA's rule that CBI was a "caged parrot".

"CBI is now chained, caged and totally immobilised... there must be a tremendous pressure from Government on the CBI...It needs a much deeper inquiry and is definitely worrisome," Kumar said, though he added that the party needs to examine the details of the judgement.

In a major relief to Shah, a special CBI court  discharged him in the case of Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter killing in 2005.

"I am of the opinion that the inference drawn by CBI is not accepted in totality and he (Shah) cannot be charged as an accused," Special CBI Judge M B Gosavi said in a brief order pronounced in the court.

The CBI had charged Shah, the then Minister of State for Home in Gujarat, as an accused in the killing of gangster Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsiram Prajapati, who was said to have been an eyewitness to the encounter.