Tuesday, April 12 2005 22:06 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Prosecution in the Best Bakery re-trial today (Apr 12, 2005) filed an application in the Special court in Mumbai seeking permission to re-examine prime witness Zaheera Shaikh, her brother Nafitullah and her mother Fehrunissa in the wake of screening of a video film, as evidence last week.

The prosecution's plea for re-examination comes after contradictions and omissions surfaced in the deposition of these witnesses vis-a-vis their police statements, which were in sharp contrast with the video shown to the court on police rescue operations after the Bakery was set afire on March 1, 2002 in the wake of the post-Godhra riots.

While Zaheera, and also her family members, had told the court during re-trial that her sister-in-law and grandmother were not present in the Bakery on that day, the video showed that they were present.

The prosecution is also expected to question Zaheera and her family members on the issue of their bank accounts.

The defence is expected to file a reply to this application in a couple of days.

The Special court in Mumbai is conducting the re-trial in the case following a Supreme Court directive to hold it in Maharashtra.

Fourteen people were killed in the attack on the Best Bakery at Vadodara on March 1, 2002.