Tuesday, May 31 2005 20:33 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Brother of prime witness Zaheera Sheikh in the Best Bakery case, Nafitullah today (May 31, 2005) told the special court conducting the re-trial in Mumbai that he was "tutored" before he gave interviews to the media.

Nafitullah was re-examined by the prosecution before special judge Abhay Thipsay in light of the fresh evidence, which was placed before the court in the form of two videos, one capturing the police rescue operations at the Bakery a day after it was attacked on March 1, 2002 and the other focussing on Zaheera's interview taken by a television journalist some days after the attack on Bakery.

He further said that he had given the interview to journalist Pankaj Shankar but said he did not remember the date, month and year of the interview.

He also denied the prosecution charge that he is giving false evidence because he was told to do so by the NGO Janadhikar, which is now taking care of his expenses.

As Nafitullah had turned hostile during the re-trial in the special court in Mumbai, the prosecution decided to cross-examine him in the wake of fresh evidence presented to the court.

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

Fourteen persons were killed in the attack on the Best Bakery at Vadodara on March 1, 2002 during the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat.