New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up hearing on a bail application moved by an IPS officer facing trial in the alleged fake encounter killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, his wife and another witness by Gujarat Police.
A bench of justices P Sathasivam and H L Dattu said it would not be appropriate to take up the application of MN Dinesh since another bench of justices Tarun Chatterjee and HL Dattu had reserved its verdict on the plea for a CBI/SIT probe into the killing.
The apex court also refused to accede to the plea of senior counsel UU Lalit that at least a notice be issued to the Gujarat government on the matter as the judgement would take some more time.
Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam, assisting the court as an amicus curaie (court`s friend) and the victims` family, had earlier sought probe by CBI or SIT probing the post-Godhra carnage, on which the bench had reserved the verdict.
Sohrabuddin, along with Kauser Bi and their friend Tulsiram Prajapati, was picked in a joint operation by the Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh Police from a bus on their way from Hyderabad to Sangli in Maharashtra on November 22, 2005.
Three senior police officers D G Banjara (DIG), Raj Kumar Pandiyan (SP), both Gujarat cadre and Dinesh of Rajasthan cadre are among the accused.
Gujarat Police had initially claimed Sohrabuddin was a gangster involved in extortion and had nearly 54 cases registered against him in different states. It was claimed that he was killed in an encounter with the Anti-Terrorist Squad of Gujarat Police and Rajasthan Police.
The Andhra Pradesh police are also said to have provided logistic support in the initial arrest of Sohrabuddin.
After the killing, Sohrabuddin`s younger brother Rubabuddin wrote a letter to the Chief Justice of India, alleging that the killings were stage managed.
The apex court treated the letter as a PIL and ordered a probe. Subsequent investigations by Gujarat Police established the fake encounter theory, resulting in half-a-dozen officers being arrested and suspended.
Apart from Sohrabuddin`s killing, it also came to light that Kauser Bi and another accomplice said to be one Tulsiram Prajapati had also been detained along with him and killed to destroy evidence.
The whereabouts of Kauser Bi`s body is still a mystery.
- PTI
