Unwilling to fix a time-frame for the completion of trial in the alleged Sohrabuddin Sheikh-Kauserbi fake encounter case, the Supreme Court on Monday asked the trial court in Mumbai to expedite the case. A Bench led by Justice Ranjan Gogoi expressed the requirement to avoid delay during an order passed in response to a report filed by the Mumbai court, in which it said it would require two years to complete the trial.
Instead, the Bench asked the Mumbai court to complete hearing of all miscellaneous applications by the end of March 2015, thereafter frame charges and commence the trial.
The apex court scheduled the case for July 7 this year. The Bench observed in its order that on that day, it would monitor the progress made so far and fix a time-frame for the trial.
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The case recently saw the trial court discharge BJP president Amit Shah in the alleged Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsiram Prajapati fake encounters for lack of evidence. Sheikh and his wife were allegedly abducted by Gujarat’s Anti-Terrorist Squad from Hyderabad and killed in a suspected fake encounter in November 2005. Prajapati, an eyewitness, was allegedly eliminated by the Gujarat Police in December 2006.