# Supreme Court agrees to examine acquittals in Sohrabuddin encounter case

2026-09-28T09:37:30+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 4 independent outlets

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine a plea against the Bombay High Court's May order acquitting 22 accused, including 21 police personnel, in the 2005 alleged fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his wife Kausar Bi and aide Tulsiram Prajapati. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana issued notice on the petition by Sohrabuddin's brother Nayabuddin Shaikh. The bench said it would examine three or four key witness statements before deciding on the acquittals. Justice Bagchi noted that 92 of 210 prosecution witnesses had turned hostile, calling it a serious concern regarding a fair trial. The court clarified it would not revisit paragraph 43 of the High Court judgment that upheld the discharge of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was Gujarat's home minister at the time. The CBI had alleged that Sohrabuddin was killed in a staged encounter on November 26, 2005, near Ahmedabad. Kausar Bi was killed three days later. Prajapati, a key witness, was killed in another encounter in December 2006. The special CBI court in Mumbai had acquitted all 22 accused in December 2018, and the High Court upheld that order in May this year.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

Three sources report the facts neutrally from the PTI feed. Times Now alone foregrounds that the court will not revisit Amit Shah's discharge, framing the story around what the bench refused. This gives a political edge the others lack, even though the substance of the order is the same. The balanced reading: the bench narrowed its review to the acquittal of 22 accused while leaving Shah's discharge undisturbed. That legal boundary, not a new decision, is the concrete outcome. The Supreme Court hears arguments after it examines the selected witness statements.

## Coverage

- hindustantimes.com (neutral report) <https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/delhi-news/sc-agrees-to-examine-plea-against-acquittal-of-22-accused-in-sohrabuddin-shaikh-encounter-case-101790579307648.html>
  Leads with the plea and the bench's agreement, adds Justice Bagchi's hostile witness concern, neutral wire-style reporting.
- siasat.com (neutral report) <https://www.siasat.com/sc-to-examine-plea-against-acquittal-of-22-in-sohrabuddin-case-3549323/>
  Same PTI wire copy as Source 1, no independent framing beyond the headline.
- timesnownews.com (neutral report) <https://www.timesnownews.com/india/sohrabuddin-case-supreme-court-amit-shah-discharge-acquittal-22-accused-article-156240212>
  Leads by foregrounding that court refused to revisit Amit Shah's discharge, frames the story around what was rejected.
- ndtv.com (neutral report) <https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/supreme-court-to-hear-plea-against-acquittal-of-22-in-sohrabuddin-shaikh-encounter-case-12107988#publisher=newsstand>
  Excerpt from the order, too brief to show a stance.

Tags: Bombay High Court, CBI, Nayabuddin Shaikh, Sohrabuddin Shaikh, Supreme Court
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Cite: https://indianopinion.org/supreme-court-to-examine-acquittals-in-sohrabuddin-shaikh-case/#story-in-brief