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| World Home » Current Affairs » | Wed. Nov 19, 2008 |
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SC sentences Zahira for one year for contempt of Court MIL/Agencies, Mar 9, 2006. New Delhi - Taking a serious view of the conflicting statements made before the Supreme Court by Best Bakery case key witness Zahira Sheikh, the apex court on Wednesday sentenced her to a simple imprisonment for a term of one year and asked her to pay Rs 50,000 as costs for the "contempt of court" that she committed. The court was composed of justices Arijit Pasayat and H.K. Sema. The court had on Jan 10, 2005, directed its then registrar general B.M. Gupta to find out the truth regarding Zahira's flip-flop on the Best Bakery case in which 14 people were burnt alive by a mob during the post-Godhra riots, as per Hindustan Times. "the criminal justice system is likely to be affected if persons like Zahira are to be left unpunished," the court noted. "Zahira has committed contempt of this court," the above a bench said. "If Zahira fails to pay the costs within two months, she will have to undergo an additional one-year term". The court directed the Income-Tax authorities in Vadodara to keep her assets, including her bank deposits, under attachment for three months. They will also be required to initiate proceedings requiring her to explain the sources of acquisition of her various assets and the expenses met by her from January 1, 2002, onwards. The court permitted the I-T authorities, if required, to inquire into allegations made in the Tehelka sting expose that Chandrakant Srivastava and Madhu Srivastava had allegedly bribed Zahira, and take appropriate action against them if necessary. In remarks that assume relevance in the wake of the Jessica Lall case, in which the key witness turned hostile, the court stressed on the importance of the judge in dispensing justice to all.
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