Tuesday, May 9 2006 16:00 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Zaheera Shaikh, along with her family members, today (May 9, 2006) pleaded not guilty to charges framed against her by a sessions court for giving false evidence in the Best Bakery case. The trial in this connection will start tomorrow.

Zaheera, prime witness in the case, was brought to the court from Byculla jail here today where she is serving a one-year sentence imposed on her by the Supreme Court for contempt of court.

The judge had read out the charges to Zaheera on the last occasion and explained the accusations against her and other members of her family.

Additional Sessions Judge Abhay Thipsay, who had conducted the retrial in Best Bakery case, told Zaheera she had falsely stated in court that she had not lodged the First Information Report (FIR) regarding the incident and that she was unaware of the document although it bore her signature.

The judge also told Zaheera she had falsely stated before him during the retrial that she had not told Vadodara court earlier about talking to police regarding the Best Bakery incident.

He referred to Vadodara court proceedings which indicated that she had indeed told police about it.

Thipsay further told Zaheera that she had falsely stated before the Mumbai court during retrial that she was unaware of the outcome of verdict of Vadodara court which had acquitted the accused in Best Bakery case as she and other witnesses had turned hostile.

Explaining the charges to Zaheera, he said she had given a false statement she was not aware of what happened to the case after it was over in Vadodara court and had also falsely feigned ignorance about the reason as to why the case was being tried again in Mumbai.

The judge also pointed out that Zaheera had turned around by initially stating in evidence that she had not named any one as offender or culprit before any authority or the media but later saying on oath that she had named certain persons as offenders on being tutored by different persons.



He said Zaheera had falsely stated that she was ignorant about the grievances made by her on the conduct of previous trial and also about the Supreme Court ordering the re-trial in view of such grievances.

Along with Zaheera, her mother Seherunnisa, brothers Nasibullah and Nafitullah, and sister Sahira are also facing the perjury charges and all of them today pleaded not guilty.