By IANS,
New Delhi : In a major blow to the Gujarat government, the Supreme Court has dismissed a petition seeking a review of its order directing a CBI probe into the 2006 shootout involving Tulsiram Prajapati – a witness to the events leading to the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake gun battle.
An apex court bench of Justice P. Sathasivam and Justice B.S. Chauhan dismissed the state government’s review petition after considering it their chamber Thursday.
The Gujarat government had moved the apex court seeking a review of its April 8, 2011 order directing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe into the elimination of the Prajapati allegedly by Gujarat Police personnel.
The court gave direction for a CBI probe into the killing of Prajapati on the petition his mother Narmada Bai.
The court by its April 8 verdict had said: “Considering the nature of crime that has been allegedly committed not by any third party but by the police personnel of the State of Gujarat, we are satisfied that the investigation conducted and concluded in the present case by the State police cannot be accepted.”
The then DIG D.G. Vanzara was moved to the border district of Sabarkantha just 10 days before the encounter of Prajapati.
Vanzara — now in judicial custody — is also an accused in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh staged shootout case. The role of the former Gujarat minister of state for home Amit Shah too was under the scanner of the CBI.
The court while directing the CBI probe had said that in view of the circumstances and the involvement of the police officers of Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, “it would not be desirable to allow the Gujarat State Police to continue with the investigation,(and), to meet the ends of justice and in the public interest, we feel that the CBI should be directed to take the investigation.”