Seven Years On: CBI Opts Not to Challenge Acquittal in Sohrabuddin Encounter Case, Drawing Finality

Nearly seven years after a special court acquitted 22 individuals implicated in the high-profile Sohrabuddin Sheikh, Kausar Bi, and Tulsiram Prajapati alleged fake encounter cases, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has made a pivotal decision: it will not appeal the acquittals. This announcement marks a significant, and for many, a conclusive development in a case that has gripped national attention for over a decade and a half.

The acquittals, handed down by a special CBI court in Mumbai on December 21, 2018, cited a lack of sufficient evidence to prove the guilt of the accused.

The court had noted that crucial witnesses had turned hostile, undermining the prosecution's case. Among those acquitted were 18 police personnel, including junior-level officers from the police forces of Gujarat and Rajasthan, who had faced charges ranging from murder to conspiracy.

The Sohrabuddin encounter case dates back to November 2005, when Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife Kausar Bi were allegedly abducted by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad while traveling from Hyderabad to Sangli.

Sohrabuddin was subsequently killed in an alleged staged encounter near Gandhinagar. Kausar Bi was also reportedly killed days later, and her body disposed of. Tulsiram Prajapati, an alleged aide of Sohrabuddin and a key witness to the abductions, was himself killed in a separate alleged encounter in December 2006 in Gujarat's Banaskantha district.

The cases were initially investigated by the Gujarat Police before being transferred to the CBI by the Supreme Court in 2010, following petitions from Sohrabuddin's brother and human rights organizations.

The investigation led to the arrest of several high-ranking police officers and even prominent political figures.

Notably, before the 2018 acquittals, several high-profile individuals, including current Union Home Minister Amit Shah (who was then Gujarat's Minister of State for Home), former Rajasthan Home Minister Gulabchand Kataria, and former Gujarat police chief P.C.

Pande, had already been discharged from the case due to a lack of prosecutable evidence. The CBI's decision not to challenge the acquittals of the remaining 22 accused in the Bombay High Court effectively draws the curtains on the agency's involvement in seeking further legal remedies in this complex and controversial saga.

This closure comes despite the prolonged legal battle and the profound questions raised by the alleged extra-judicial killings.