CBI to file chargesheet in Prajapati encounter

The Gujarat high court directed the CBI on Tuesday to file its chargesheet in the Tulsiram Prajapati fake encounter case at a special CBI court in Ahmedabad.

The CBI had filed the chargesheet at a judicial magistrate's court in Danta, Banaskantha, where Prajapati - a witness to the murders of Sohrabuddin and his wife Kauser Bi - had been killed.

In the chargesheet, the agency had named former junior home minister Amit Shah, former director general of police PC Pande, former additional director general of police OP Mathur and the current additional director general of police Geetha Johri as the key accused, who conspired to kill Prajapati.

Defence lawyers, however, had raised objection to the CBI chargesheet at the Danta court, citing it was not competent to hear the case. But the court ruled in the prosecuting agency's favour, prompting the accused to approach the high court.

On Tuesday, Justice RH Shukla held that the Danta court was not competent to hear the case and so, the chargesheet has to be filed in a designated CBI court in Ahmedabad.

Altogether, 19 people have been chargesheeted in the case.