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2005 'fake' encounter of gangster Sohrabuddin Shaikh: HC upholds acquittal of 22 persons
The Bombay High Court on May 7, 2026, upheld the acquittal of 22 accused in the 2005 case of the alleged fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his wife Kausar Bi, and his aide Tulsiram Prajapati. The judgment followed an appeal filed in April 2019 by Shaikh's brothers challenging a December 2018 acquittal, and the CBI had indicated it would not appeal. This marks the latest chapter in a long-running legal saga surrounding the case.
Why It Matters
The ruling closes a prolonged legal dispute over alleged extrajudicial killings and the accountability of police officers, reflecting ongoing debates about evidence and conspiracy in high-profile cases.
Timeline
8 Events
May 7, 2026: Bombay High Court upholds acquittal of 22 accused
May 7, 2026
A bench of Bombay High Court, comprising Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad, upheld the acquittal of 22 accused in the 2005 case. The acquittals included 21 junior police officers from Gujarat and Rajasthan and one owner of a farmhouse in Gujarat. The court noted insufficient evidence of conspiracy; the CBI had earlier said it would not appeal the acquittal.
CBI indicates it will not appeal acquittal (reported)
2025
The Central Bureau of Investigation told the High Court in 2025 that it had accepted the acquittal judgment and would not appeal.
April 2019: Shaikh's brothers file appeal in high court
April 2019
Shaikh's brothers filed an appeal in the Bombay High Court challenging the December 2018 acquittal.
December 2018: Special court acquits all accused
December 2018
A special court acquitted all the accused in the 2005 case in December 2018.
Tulsiram Prajapati killed
December 27, 2006
Prajapati, who had been lodged in an Udaipur central jail, was killed in an encounter on the Gujarat-Rajasthan border on December 27, 2006.
Sohrabuddin Shaikh killed in alleged fake encounter
November 26, 2005
Sohrabuddin Shaikh was killed on November 26, 2005, near Ahmedabad, in an alleged fake encounter by a joint team comprising Gujarat and Rajasthan police, according to the CBI.
Sohrabuddin Shaikh, wife and Prajapati taken into police custody
November 22, 2005
Shaikh, his wife Kausar Bi and aide Tulsiram Prajapati were taken into custody by a police team on the night of November 22-23, 2005, while returning from Hyderabad to Sangli. The couple was taken in one vehicle and Prajapati in another.
Kausar Bi killed after Shaikh
November 2005
Kausar Bi, Shaikh's wife, was killed a few days after Shaikh's death in November 2005.