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The Central Bureau of Investigation has booked senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader from Rajasthan, Gulab Chand Kataria, and three others for murder charges in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter killing case.
Kataria is the second high profile politician to be named in the alleged fake encounter case after former Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah, considered close to Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
Besides Kataria, the CBI also charged Andhra Pradesh Inspector General of Police (Intelligence) N Balasubramanyam, Director of R K Marble Vimal Patni and another Andhra Pradesh police officer G Srinivasa Rao under sections related to murder, kidnapping, wrongful confinement and causing disappearance of evidence among others.
The magisterial court issued summons to Kataria and three others to appear before it after the agency filed the supplementary charge-sheet, which runs into 500 pages. They are likely to appear before the court on June 4.
In its 500-page supplementary charge-sheet, the CBI has alleged Sheikh was "eliminated" for demanding Rs 24 crore from Patni who was introduced to Amit Shah, also an accused in the case, by Kataria, the then Rajasthan home minister.
The Supreme Court had last year transferred the trial of Sohrabuddin Sheikh killing case to Maharashtra from Gujarat as the CBI said witnesses were being intimidated and the trial could not be held in a free and fair manner in Gujarat.
"This is a supplementary charge-sheet against accused Vimal Patni, Gulab Chand Kataria, N Balasubramanyam, G Srinivasa Rao filed in continuation of earlier chargesheet... which is already committed... to the special court Mumbai on February 1, 2013 for offences punishable under section 120-B read with 364, 365, 368, 341, 342, 302 and 201 of IPC. Accordingly, cognisance is taken for offence punishable under section 120-B read with 364, 365, 368, 341, 342, 302 and 201 of the IPC," additional chief metropolitan magistrate A A Khan said in his order.
The court also issued summons to the accused and directed them to present before it on June 4, 2013.
The CBI alleged that Kataria was the "link" between Patni and Shah and got Patni introduced to the latter.
According to the agency, Sheikh allegedly demanded Rs 24 core from Patni as "protection money" and it was the prime reason behind his encounter killing.
The CBI had earlier said Sheikh allegedly wanted to spread his extortion racket in Rajasthan and in order to get a good hold he sought the protection money.
After coming in contact with Patni, Shah allegedly planned the entire encounter operation with the help of the Gujarat police, according to the CBI.
The CBI has added the statements of 40 new witnesses in the supplementary chargesheet. Some of the witnesses had recorded their statements before magistrate under section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Sheikh and his wife Kauser Bi were allegedly abducted by Gujarat's Anti-Terrorism Squad from Hyderabad and killed in a fake encounter near Gandhinagar in November 2, 2005.
Meanwhile, Gulab Chand Kataria in Jaipur said that he will only speak on the matter after going through the supplementary charge-sheet.
"Till the time I don't read the full charge-sheet, I won't comment on this matter," he said while interacting with reporters at the Gandhi Nagar Railway Station after returning from Delhi.
"However, I can say that I am being falsely implicated in this case and I will come clean no matter which agency probes the case," he said.