Sohrabuddin case: SIT probe tardy, SC told

The Supreme Court was on Wednesday informed that investigations by Gujarat's Special Investigations Team in the fake encounter killing of alleged gangster Syed Sohrabuddin were not proceeding in a desired manner.

Coverage Page: Gujarat fake encounters

"There is something seriously amiss about the whole investigation," Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium, who has been appointed an amicus curiae (court officer) by the apex court, told a bench of Justices Tarun Chatterjee and Mukundakam Sharma.

Senior counsel Dushyant Dave, appearing for Syed Rubabuddin brother of the deceased, also complained that the Gujarat police was conducting tardy investigations as various police officials, including the Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police, have not been examined.

The Andhra Pradesh police is believed to have provided logistical support to the Gujarat police in picking up Sohrabuddin in Hyderabad and killing him in an allegedly encounter in November 2005.

Dave suggested that the apex court should also scrutinise the chargesheet filed by the Gujarat police.

However, senior counsel Mukul Rohtagi on behalf of the Gujarat Government opposed the suggestion.

He said scrutinising of the chargesheet was the duty of the trial court before whom it has been filed. "It is not for this court (apex court) to examine the chargesheet," he submitted.

The bench then posted the matter for further hearing on next Wednesday.

Sohrabuddin, was shot dead by the Gujarat police on the outskirts of Ahmedabad in November 2005. It was alleged that his wife and another witnesses Tulsiram Prajapati were also killed by the police to destroy evidence in the case.
 
On the intervention of the Supreme Court, Gujarat authorities conducted a probe through the Crime Investigation Department (CID) into the killings leading to the arrest of a dozen police officers, including three top cops D G Vanzara, Rajkumar Pandian and a Rajasthan cadre officer M N Dinesh.