The Gujarat High Court Wednesday issued notices to eight accused in the 2005 Sohrabuddin Sheikh staged shootout case who challenged co-accused and former police official N.K. Amin’s plea to turn an approver.
Justice Akil Kureshi ordered the notices to be issued after a designated Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Aug 26 referred suspended deputy superintendent of police Amin’s plea to the high court to decide its constitutional validity.
Amin’s co-accused challenged the jurisdiction of the CBI court to accept his plea to turn an approver.
CBI court Judge A.Y. Dave referred the issue to the high court, stating that the designated court did not have the powers to decide the constitutional validity of Amin’s plea.
Opposing Amin’s bargain plea seeking pardon, the other accused’s lawyer S.B. Vakil said that the CBI court did not have the jurisdiction to record Amin’s statement.
Judge Dave said that further hearing would take place in the case after the high court’s ruling.
Eight co-accused, including suspended Indian Police Service officers D.G. Vanzara, Rajkumar Pandian and Dinesh M.N. raised objections to Amin’s application.
Amin was serving in the city crime branch before being arrested in 2007 in connection with Sheikh’s killing.
