New Delhi, September 29: A Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court hearing the bail plea of former Gujarat minister Amit Shah in the 2005 Sohrabuddin Sheikh killing on Wednesday reserved its order till Oct 8.
Special CBI Judge G.K. Upadhayay in Ahmedabad put off the order after hearing the concluding arguments by Shah’s lawyer Ram Jethmalani.
The lawyer argued that allegations of coercion made by witnesses Nayeemuddin and Azam Khan, who had both retracted their earlier statement to the CBI, should be taken on record.
Counsel for the CBI volunteered to produce video recording of the statements by the two witnesses in which they stated that there was no coercion.
He submitted that the accused, though lodged in Sabarmati jail, wielded tremendous power and was using it to put pressure on witnesses.
The court hearing on Wednesday saw the former Gujarat minister’s first appearance before the CBI court through video conferencing from Sabarmati jail.
On Sep 16, he was granted exemption from appearing before court through video conferencing as he was admitted to hospital.
Shah was earlier exempted by the court from appearing in person on security grounds and permitted to attend proceedings through video conferencing.
The former Minister has been admitted to the civil hospital thrice since his arrest by the CBI July 25.
On Aug 31, he was admitted to the hospital for a week after he complained of chest pain ahead of his Sep 3 court appearance. His last visit to the hospital was on Monday.
The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has been accused of killing Sheikh in a staged shootout Nov 26, 2005, in Ahmedabad. His wife Kauserbi is suspected to have been killed at a farm near the city two days later.
Over a dozen policemen, including Indian Police Service officers, have been arrested for the killings.
—Agencies