Sohrabuddin’s brother wants to appear in Shah bail plea

AHMEDABAD - Rubabuddin Sheikh, brother of Soharabuddin Sheikh killed in a staged shooutout in 2005, has sought permission from a court to participate in the proceedings on the bail plea filed by former Gujarat minister Amit Shah.

Shah was arrested July 25 by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with Sheikh’s killing.

In a petition before special CBI Court Judge G.K. Upadhyaya, Rubabuddin said that granting bail to Shah would be against the principles of justice.

He said Shah may influence witnesses. The court has fixed the hearing on Rubabuddin’s petition along with hearing on Shah’s bail application Aug 11.

Meanwhile, the CBI has summoned for questioning retired police inspector V.I. Solanki, who investigated the Sohrabuddin case.

Solanki had written a letter to the then Criminal Investigation Department (Crime) head O.P. Mathur seeking permission for travelling to Rajasthan to question Tulsiram Prajapati, an aide of Sohrabuddin, then lodged in Udaipur jail.

Solanki was refused permission and Prajapati was killed soon after in a suspected staged shootout a few days after he wrote the letter. Mathur has also been summoned by the CBI but he is yet to appear before it.

The CBI, according to sources, also questioned the lawyer of a former human rights activist of south Gujarat Pratap Save, who had launched a public agitation against developing a fisheries harbour at Umbergaon.

Questioning of the lawyer, Laxmanbhai Lowe, apparently was in connection with the former deputy superintendent of police Narendra Amin’s application for turning approver in the Sohrabuddin case.

Amin’s plea is scheduled to come up for hearing Aug 10.

On April 7, 2000, Amin, then posted in Bulsar district, had picked up Save and beat him up in police custody.

Save died in a hospital in Mumbai April 20 due to his injuries. His family members filed a case of murder against Amin and some other policemen of Umbergaon that is still pending in court.