Prajapati encounter: CBI urges SC to lift stay on proceedings against Shah

The CBI on Tuesday sought lifting of stay on criminal proceedings against former state Home Minister Amit Shah in the Tulsiram Prajapati fake encounter case in the Supreme Court which said it cannot pass the order without hearing the parties.

"We cannot vacate the stay. Let us hear the petition," a bench comprising justices P Sathasivam and B S Chauhan said while deciding to hear from January 15 onwards the plea and other applications connected with the case.

"No purpose will be served in vacating the stay," the bench further said.

Shah's counsel Mukul Rohatgi said the matter came before the court a day before his client (Shah) is going to file his nomination paper for the Assembly elections.

CBI advocate Vivek Tankha said because of the stay in the Prajapati case, the trial in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter killing case has also come to a halt, though both the cases were the result of different transactions.

The Supreme Court had on October 18 stayed further proceedings against Shah in the Prajapati case and had sought response from the CBI on his plea contending that Prajapati murder case is part of Sheikh's fake encounter case and they should be heard together.

When the matter came for hearing, the CBI said it has already filed its response but the Gujarat government and Shah's counsel replied that they have not been supplied with the copies of the affidavit. The bench said CBI was actually seeking vacation of stay in the Prajapati case.

Shah had argued there was no need for a separate FIR in the Prajapati case as the case came to light during the CBI probe into the Sohrabuddin's case. He had submitted that the chargesheet filed in the Prajapati case should be treated as second supplementary chargesheet in the Sohrabuddin case.

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