The Gujarat Government on Monday informed the Supreme Court that the state CID, probing the killings of Sohrabuddin Shaikh and his wife Kausar Bi, had managed to collect the names and photographs of seven Andhra Pradesh police personnel accused of helping the Gujarat Police “implement the plan”.

The admission followed doubts raised by amicus curiae and Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium in the matter during the last hearing. He had indicted the state police for not being able to “discover the identity of the seven police personnel and their involvement in the crime so far”.

However, senior advocate KTS Tulsi, defending the Modi-led Government before the Bench headed by Justice Tarun Chatterjee said the photographs and names had been collected at the instance of witnesses for identification. This despite the claims by the Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police that co-operation of the state police was confined only to providing logistical support, Tulsi said.

Senior advocate Dushayant Dave, appearing for Rubabuddin Sheikh, attacked the state police and said the Andhra DGP’s role almost amounted to contempt of court.

Meanwhile, Tulsi admitted that “no information about the time and manner” in which Kausar Bi was killed was available with the investigating agency. Though the investigating agency could gather information that after being intercepted in Andhra Pradesh, Kausar Bi was shifted to the Arhan Farm House in Gujarat, there was no further information on her whereabouts, he told the bench.