Bombay High Court
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
The brother of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, who was allegedly killed in a fake encounter with Gujarat Police, filed a petition challenging the acquittal order of December 2018 of the CBI court in the Bombay High Court on Wednesday (September 24, 2025).A Bench comprising Chief Justice Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Akhand heard the petition of Rubabuddin Sheikh and asked the reason for challenging the verdict so late.To which the lawyer of the petitioner responded that the “118 testimonies during the trial were disregarded”.The Bench said that when the statement is recorded, it is signed by the witness. In case of a wrong statement, the witness is supposed to file the application on the same day.The Bench has asked the petitioner to examine the provisions of the law and prepare a chart of witnesses, giving directions to reply in this regard within two weeks.In the Sohrabuddin case, the 22 accused were acquitted in the CBI court in 2018.The court observed that the alleged offence was committed in discharge of the accused’s official duty. Even if they acted in excess of their official duty, they are protected under Section 197 (prosecution of judges and public servants) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).Mr. Sheikh has been unsatisfied with the verdict as CBI mentioned “many loose ends” in the case. Published - September 25, 2025 04:00 am IST
