CBI wants to examine Zahida afresh in Shehla murder case

As the trial of right to information activist Shehla Masood murder case is underway, the Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday sought permission from the special court here to examine the main accused Zahida Parvez and co-accused Saba Farooqui in the judicial custody.

In the application to special CBI judge Anupam Srivastava, Additional Superintendent of police (CBI) A G L Kaul said as per the forensic experts' opinion on a handkerchief and a condom, seized from the office and the residence of Zahida, human blood, human hair and human DNA found on them belonged to different male and female origins.

This opinion was received after the chargesheet was filed. "It is essential in the interest of investigation to examine accused Zahida and Saba to find out the origin of the exhibits...about the identities of the persons to whom these biological exhibits belong," CBI said.

"A conversation was found recorded in the mobile phone recovered from Zahida....it was found that Zahida and Saba have been talking with a male person about the CBI investigation," the plea added, saying that identity of the person was to be found out.

Inspector Shehnaz Khan of CBI, from the Delhi office, would question the two in the judicial custody, it said.

Meanwhile, prosecution witnesses Pradeep Singh and S Dohre did not turn up in the court today. Trial will continue tomorrow as two more prosecution witnesses would depose. Saba's lawyer Sunil Srivastava said he would oppose CBI's plea for fresh questioning.

Masood was murdered by hired assassins outside her Bhopal residence in August 2011, allegedly at the behest of Zahida Parvez.