MARCH 31: The sister and sister-in-law of gangster Sada Pawle were today unable to reveal the names of the family members who had allegedly pressurised them into filing their affidavits in the Enquiry into Encounters on March 2, 1998.Yesterday, both Pawle's sister Hausabai and sister-in-law Anita were declared hostile witnesses after they retracted their earlier affidavits dated March 2, in which they had mentioned that they were witness to the death of Pawle and Vijay Tandel on September 26, 1997. During cross-examination by P A Sebastian, counsel for the Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights, Anita said she could not give the names of the family members who had pressurised them into filing the affidavit as she had been living with them for the last seven to eight months. She said witness Baldev Singh was a friend of her husband Anand, and he was not present when Pawle was killed in the encounter. On the day her brother-in-law was killed, she was in Shirdi, she said, and Baldev could not accompanythem as he had to report for work.
Replying to a question by Sebastian, Hausabai denied that the police officers compelled her to make a false affidavit, and also that she had filed the affidavit dated March 27 with a view to save her brother Anand. She clarified that the thumb impression on both the affidavits dated March 2 and 27 were hers, and that she learnt the death of her brother while she was at Shirdi. Hausabai was constantly crying and pleading with the court to discontinue her questioning. She also repeatedly asked the court to pardon her for filing the earlier affidavits. At this point, Principal Sessions Judge AS Aguiar directed Sebastian to stop cross-examining Hausabai, as she seemed in no position to reply to questioning. After her cross-examination concluded, she pleaded with the court that her brother and sister-in-law should not be harassed by the police.
Meanwhile Counsel for Anand Pawle and Baldev Singh AM Sarogi told the court that his clients would remain present before theCommission tomorrow.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
