Hearsay, rumours and statements of some handpicked witnesses are the basis of the CBI’s third charge sheet in the Sohrabuddin encounter case in which Gulab Chand Kataria, BJP leader of Opposition in the Assembly has been made an accused.
In the third charge sheet, the CBI has failed to submit any fresh evidence to establish the involvement of Kataria, who was Home Minister of the State when Sohrabuddin was gunned down in an encounter.
In its first charge sheet in October 2010, the CBI named Kataria, but said the probe against him was still pending. At that time, the CBI mentioned the statements of at least four witnesses. They told the CBI they had either heard rumours in Udaipur or gossip in police circles that though the job to eliminate Sohrabuddin was carried out by the police, some politicians had taken huge money to arrange the killing of this gangster, who extorted money from rich traders of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
In its latest charge sheet, the CBI conveniently forgot to mention that some of the witnesses had retracted their statements.
The CBI had recorded statements of 63 people in Rajasthan. Of them, only seven had confirmed the conspiracy involving Kataria, marble businessman Vimal Patani and some police officials.
Patani, who is director of RK Marble, has also been named in the latest charge sheet along with Kataria.
Among the four witnesses, there is one schoolteacher Daudayal. In his statement he had told the CBI that in Udaipur city, where he lives, he had heard the rumours that Kataria and the owner of RK Marble were behind the killing of Sohrabuddin.
A few months before the killing of Sohrabuddin, one history-sheeter of Udaipur, Hamid lala, was murdered in Udaipur.
Police had arrested two persons in this connection. They were Mohammad Azam and Tulsi Prajapati. Prajapati, who used to work for Sohrabuddin was also killed in another encounter.
In its charge sheet, the CBI made Azam its witness. In his statement, Azam said that while he was in police custody at Hathipole police station in Udaipur, he had heard the SHO and some other policemen saying that Kataria and some other BJP politicians had taken money from Patani and a textile tycoon of Bhilwara to arrange the killing of Sohrabuddin who was demanding Rs24-crore from them as protection money.
Kataria, who has a very good reputation, was summoned twice by the CBI in Ahmedabad to record his statement. People who know Kataria well, vouch for his integrity. After his statement before the CBI, Kataria had told reporters that he had given all the facts without hiding anything.
There are fears in the BJP that Kataria may be arrested on June 4, when he has been summoned to appear before CBI court in Mumbai.