Shehla Masood murder: Accused refuses to record statement

One of the five accused in the Right To Information activist Shehla Masood murder case, Saba Farooqui, on Friday refused to record her statement before a special court for the second time in one month.

Saba, an aide of prime accused Zahida Pervez, was on Friday produced in the special Central Bureau of Investigation court of Judicial Magistrate Shubhra Singh. She, however, refused to testify under section 164 of CrPc, senior public prosecutor Hemant Shukla told reporters.

A statement made under section 164 of CrPc is admissible as evidence in court of law. Saba had last month also refused to testify under the section.

On April 11, the court had asked Saba to respond within 48 hours whether she was willing to record her statement under section 164 of CrPc. Besides Zahida and Saba, three alleged contract killers, namely Shaikb 'Danger', Irfan and Tabish Khan are named accused by the CBI in the case. Tabish had also refused to testify under section 164 of CrPc.

When asked if refusal in recording the statement would affect the case, the public prosecutor replied in negative. "It is not affecting our case. The CBI has got sufficient evidence, and will file a challan in the court at the right time," Shukla said, adding that the statements made by some of the accused to the media are not inimical to the investigations.

Saba is currently under judicial custody for allegedly abetting killing of 32-year-old Shehla who was shot dead on August 11, 2011 outside her residence in posh Koh-e-Fiza locality in Bhopal.