NEW DELHI/AHMEDABAD, 4 May 2007 — More police officials from Gujarat were arrested yesterday over the killing of a Muslim man, Sohrabuddin Sheikh, in a fake encounter in 2005 and his wife’s subsequent murder, sources said.
The Supreme Court yesterday observed that it was a “prima facie” fit case to be probed by the Central Bureau of investigation. The court also gave the Gujarat police “some more time” to complete its probe into the incident and deferred a final order on the issue to May 15.
The Gujarat Crime Investigation Department yesterday detained a few more middle and lower level policemen who were allegedly part of the operation led by the three arrested top police officials.
Approving the desirability of a CBI probe into the matter, the bench comprising Justice Tarun Chatterjee and Justice P.K. Balasubramanyam, said: “We are of the view that a prima facie case has been made out for admitting the petition, calling upon the center and Gujarat to show cause why the order (for a CBI inquiry) should not be passed and also as to why a writ of habeas corpus should not be issued to produce Kauser Bi (the wife) in court.”
The bench, however, refrained from transferring the case to the CBI giving the state government “some more time” to complete its investigations.
