Two key witnesses in Sohrab case fall unwell

Mumbai: After Shahnawazuddin, now Sohrabuddin Sheikh’s two other brothers, Rubabuddin and Nayam-uddin, have also sought time to appear before the court as prosecution witnesses, saying they met with an accident last month and are on bed rest. Last week, Shahnawazuddin had sought time to appear before the court as a witness, saying he is ill and has been advised bed rest by the doctor. Sheikh was killed in an alleged fake encounter in 2005.

Rubabuddin is the complainant in the 2005 Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounters case and was expected to appear before the court as prosecution witness. However, the court was informed that both brothers, Rubabuddin and Nayamuddin, have met with an accident and are on bed rest as advised by their doctor. A request was made on their behalf, seeking ano-ther date when they could come before the court, following which special CBI judge S.J. Sharma adjou-rned the recording of their evidence till Septe-mber.

It may be recalled that Sohrabuddin’s elder brother Shahnawazuddin was supposed to appear before the court as a prosecution witness on Saturday but he sent the message to the court that he is not keeping well. The court allowed his application and deferred his evidence till August 20.

Almost six years after CBI filed a chargesheet in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case, Shahna-wazuddin in May this year had moved an application before the trial court requesting it to call him as a witness because the CBI had failed to mention his name in the list of witnesses.

Mother of Sohrabuddin’s aide Tulsiram Prajapati, who was also all-egedly killed in a fake encounter in 2006, failed to appear before the court as prosecution witness. Following this the court has issued fresh summons for Prajapati’s mother to appear before the court. It was Prajapati’s mother who had moved the Supreme Court seeking a CBI inquiry into her son’s death.