**CBI Declines to Challenge Acquittal in Sohrabuddin Shaikh Fake Encounter Case**

*Mumbai:* The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) informed the Bombay High Court on Wednesday that it will not challenge the acquittal of all 22 accused in the alleged fake encounter case of gangster Sohrabuddin Shaikh dating back to 2005.

A special CBI court had acquitted all the accused in December 2018, stating that the prosecution failed to establish a strong case proving conspiracy to kill Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his wife Kausar Bi, and aide Tulsiram Prajapati.

Following the acquittal, Shaikh’s brothers, Rubabuddin and Nayabuddin Shaikh, approached the Bombay High Court in 2019, challenging the verdict. They claimed the trial was flawed, highlighting that the statements of witnesses were not accurately recorded.

On Wednesday, a bench comprising Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad heard the appeal filed by Shaikh’s brothers. Representing the CBI, Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh informed the bench that the agency would not be filing any appeal against the special court’s judgment.

“We (CBI) have accepted the acquittal judgment,” Singh stated.

Background: Sohrabuddin and his wife were killed in November 2005 in Ahmedabad in an alleged encounter. Tulsiram Prajapati, suspected to be a key witness, was allegedly killed later.

The CBI charge sheet filed in 2010 included several high-profile names, including then Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2025/Oct/09/sohrabuddin-encounter-cbi-accepts-acquittal-of-all