CBI, Centre used Prajapati mother as camouflage: Amit Shah to apex court

Former minister Amit Shah on Wednesday claimed that the CBI and Centre had used as "camouflage" a petition by the mother of Tulsiram Prajapati, who was allegedly killed in a fake encounter in 2006, to further their "political malafide" and "fix" him.

Arguing in the Supreme Court against separate chargesheets in Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Prajapati encounter cases, Shah's counsel Mahesh Jethmalani claimed that while Prajapati's mother Narmada Bai did not raise objections to a final probe report by the Gujarat police, the CBI and the Union of India lapped the opportunity to implicate Shah.

"Narmada Bai had no grievances against the chargesheet by the state police but the CBI and Centre used it to fix my client. CBI had repeatedly said it on oath before this court that the two incidents formed part of the same transaction and were integral parts of the same conspiracy but they now turn around and take a different stand. If this is not a misuse of the CBI then what else is?" he said.

Jethmalani contended that the CBI's latest stand that the two incidents emerged out of "distinct motives" was "not only legal absurdity but also perjury on oath".

"Moreover, they went on seeking extension after extension from this court to complete investigation in the Prajapati case only in view of the impending assembly election in Gujarat. They deliberately timed the filing of the chargesheet against my client when the election was round the corner. It is an unequivocal case of political malafide," he alleged.

He stressed that the CBI must explain why were they now adopting a completely different stand when they earlier sought probe into the Prajapati case on the basis that it was "inseparable" from the Sohrabuddin case.

Concluding his arguments, Jethmalani said he did not ask for quashing of the FIR or the chargesheet but wanted that the chargesheet in the Prajapati case must be considered as a supplementary chargesheet in the Sohrabuddin case.

... contd.

ALSO READ

Verdict in Dec 16 rape case expected by month-end: Neeraj Kumar

China incursion: Both sides withdraw troops from Daulat Beg Oldi sector

Sonia Gandhi consults A K Antony on Pawan Bansal issue

Coalgate probe: No accused or suspect let off, says CBI chief Ranjit Sinha