Acquittal not shocking, case pre-decided: NCP

Mumbai: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Friday said the acquittal of all 22 accused in the alleged fake encounter killings of gangster Sohrabuddin Sheikh and two others was “not shocking” as the outcome of the case had been “pre-decided”.

The NCP also alleged that several witnesses in the case turned hostile “under pressure” and “cases were taken away from certain judges”. NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said the Central Bureau of Investigation (C-BI), which investigated t-he case, should immedia-tely appeal in a higher court.

“The acquittal of all 22 accused in the case is not shocking, because the outcome of the case was pre-decided. A situation was created and 85 witnesses turned hostile under pressure. Cases were taken away from certain judges too. The CBI must now approach higher courts,” he said. Stating that judgment was not surprising, Mr Malik added, without naming anyone, “There are clear indications that under pressure, a system was created and the judgment delivered.”