Supreme Court stays trial in Sohrabuddin fake encounter case

The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the proceedings in a trial court over the killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh in a fake encounter by the Gujarat police. A two judge bench headed by Justice Tarun Chaterjee ordered the stay after Amicus Curiae Gopal Subramanium argued that unless the court decides on the CBI investigation, the trial in the case should not go on.  The court has now fixed November 11th as next date of hearing and the trial court has been directed to keep the records in safe custody.

Subramanium pressed upon the court that the entire investigation done by Geeta Johri is a farce and the chargesheet in the trial shall not be able to stand scrutiny of law. According to the petitioner, the Gujarat police has not even made the Andhra Police officers witnesses who could pose as an important evidence in the case.

Subramanium also ridiculed the state police for  not even telling about the motive in the chargesheet. According to the chargesheet, the motive of the encounter was that the police officers wanted media publicity which led them to do such an encounter. 

Soharabuddin was killed by the Gujarat police in the fake encounter on November 26, 2006, and after couple of days his wife Kauser Bi was also eliminated. The apex court in May 2007 had refused to transfer the investigation of the case to the CBI.

Senior Gujarat police officers -- D G Vanzara (DIG), Raj Kumar Pandiyan (SP) and Dinesh M N (Rajasthan Cadre IPS officer) are among the main accused in the case.