Sohrabuddin's brother challenges acquittals in encounter case

The brother of gangster Sohrabuddin Shaikh, who was killed in an alleged fake encounter along with his wife and an associate, has filed an appeal in the Bombay High Court, challenging the acquittal of all 22 accused in the case.

Sohrabuddin's brother, Rubabuddin, Thursday said he had wanted the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file appeal against the acquittals, but since the agency made no move, he filed the appeal himself.

In December 2018, a special CBI court acquitted the 22 accused, observing that the prosecution had failed to establish a cogent case to suggest that there was a conspiracy to kill the three persons.

While there is no denying that Shaikh and the other two had been killed, "going by the evidence on record, the court could not conclude that the present accused persons could be questioned, or, held accountable for those deaths," the court had said.

The accused in the case were mainly police officers, present and former, from Gujarat and Rajasthan.

Rubabuddin had written to the Union government in January this year, requesting that the CBI appeal against the ruling.

"I did not receive any reply to my letter. So I have filed an appeal in the Bombay High Court, challenging the trial court's order acquitting all the accused," he said.

According to the CBI, Shaikh, his wife Kausar Bi and his aide Tulsi Prajapati were abducted by Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad in November 2005.

While Shaikh and his wife were allegedly killed by Gujarat police officials soon after, Prajapati was killed by Rajasthan and Gujarat police officials in 2006.