Rubabuddin Sheikh, brother of Gujarat fake encounter victim Sohrabuddin, and lyricist and human rights activist Javed Akhtar, have sought prosecution of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for plotting the conspiracy to eliminate Sohrabuddin and his wife Kausar Bi.
Their petitions are pending before the Supreme Court. A bench comprising Justices Tarun Chatterjee and Dalveer Bhandari is hearing their pleas.
Appearing for Javed Akhtar, advocate Prashant Bhushan, who also heads non-governmental organisation Centre for Public Interest Litigation, sought the apex court’s direction to the Election Commission to cancel Modi’s candidature for inciting and aggravating communal hatred in the state for electoral gains.
Dushyant Dave, counsel for Rubabuddin Sheikh, told the bench that his client had all along feared that Sohrabuddin had been killed in November 2005 in a conspiracy plotted personally by Modi.
In a recent poll campaign speech, the chief minister had clearly owned up to the killings, counsel argued, adding that Modi’s role needed to be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation. He also demanded transfer of the trial to courts outside the state.
Dave said Modi’s statement was a blot on the democracy of the country and questioned the authority of the Supreme Court.