NEW DELHI/AHMEDABAD, JULY 24
Facing arrest on charges of murder and kidnapping, Gujarat Minister of State for Home Amit Shah, a close associate of Chief Minister Narendra Modi, resigned from the government today but remained untraceable for the CBI.
Forty-six-year-old Shah, who has been slapped charges of murder and kidnapping in the fake encounter killing of alleged gangster Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife Kauser Bi in 2005, sent his resignation to Modi’s residence this morning, which will be accepted, the Chief Minister said this morning on arrival in Delhi.
Modi, who is here to attend a meeting of the National Development Council (NDC) meeting announced Shah’s resignation but contended that he was “completely innocent” and that the charges against him were “politically motivated” by the Congress government at the Centre.
The resignation of a man, considered a very close associate of Modi, did not, however, impress the Congress which said it was “too little, too late”.
The resignation coming after resisting it for days and weeks was not “graceful and voluntary”, said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singh.
For the BJP top leadership and Modi to fully justify Shah’s actions showed there was no “contrition, apology or acceptance” on their part, he said adding this was contempt of court.
However, BJP spokesperson Prakash Javdekar contended that Shah should be congratulated for submitting his resignation and was only availing all options before law to face charges that “are well known to be false and concocted”.
Meanwhile, CBI continued its search for Shah, who along with two other accused Yashpal Chudasama and Ajay Patel, have gone underground.
“All three are key accused in the fake encounter case and we are searching for them,” CBI officials told PTI in Ahmedabad.
Teams from the Central agency, which filed a charge sheet in the case yesterday, are searching for the accused in various locations, they added.
Shah was exploring legal options after his anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the Special CBI Court yesterday, sources close to the minister said.
