Wednesday, December 22 2004 20:54 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Prime witness in Best Bakery case, Zaheera Sheikh, today (Dec 22, 2004) denied that she had taken or demanded money from Gujarat BJP (Bharatiya Janata Dal) MLA Madhu Srivastava.

Addressing an impromptu press conference outside the special court after her deposition in the Best Bakery retrial, Zaheera said she does not even know the BJP MLA.

Replying to a query about latest expose by 'Tehelka' newspaper in a video clip where Shrivastava has been quoted saying that Zaheera demanded Rs 35 lakhs and took Rs 18 lakhs from him, the key witness said, "The allegations were false."

She said all this was a conspiracy hatched by activist Teesta Setalvad and Chandrakant Srivastava, Congress corporator from Vadodara who was also related to BJP MLA.

She said her earlier allegations about Madhu Srivastava threatening her to turn hostile were made at the instance of Setalvad.

Earlier, responding to a question by the prosecution about the allegation of her demanding Rs 35 lakhs from Madhu Srivastava and accepting Rs 18 lakhs, Zaheera repeatedly said, "I am a God fearing person and I have to face the Allah."

When the question was repeated by prosecutor Manjula Rao, Zaheera replied, "Tell me from whom I have accepted money."

In a sting operation carried out by 'Tehelka' newspaper the controversial BJP MLA Madhu Srivastava purportedly said that key witness Zaheera Sheikh was paid Rs 18 lakh to turn hostile in the case in which all the 21 accused were acquitted by a fast-track court in Gujarat in July last year.

A 10-minute video tape recording this was played at a jam-packed press conference at the Press Club in Mumbai by Tarun Tejpal, its Editor-in-Chief.