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File image of Bombay High Court. (Photo:X)

Mumbai, May 7: The Bombay High Court has confirmed the acquittal of all 22 individuals implicated in the controversial fake encounter case involving gangster Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his spouse Kausar Bi, and associate Tulsiram Prajapati. This ruling marks the conclusion of one of India's most significant criminal and political cases.

A division bench led by Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad rejected appeals from Sohrabuddin's brothers, Rubabuddin and Nayabuddin, who contested a December 2018 special court ruling that cleared all defendants.

Among those acquitted, 21 were junior police officers from Gujarat and Rajasthan, accused of kidnapping the trio and subsequently murdering them in what investigators labeled as staged encounters.

The last accused was the owner of a Gujarat farmhouse where Sohrabuddin and Kausar Bi were reportedly held unlawfully prior to their deaths.

The High Court indicated that a comprehensive copy of the judgment would be made available later.

In its 2018 ruling, the special CBI court stated that the prosecution failed to present a solid conspiracy or prove the accused's involvement beyond a reasonable doubt.

It also highlighted that the prosecution could not establish any connection between the police officers and certain local politicians initially implicated in the case but later released.

In April 2019, Sohrabuddin's brothers appealed to the High Court, asserting that the trial was flawed and requested a retrial.

They alleged that numerous witnesses claimed their testimonies were not accurately documented by the trial court.

However, the CBI informed the High Court last year that it accepted the trial court's decision and would not contest the acquittals.

Sohrabuddin was reportedly killed in November 2005 in a purported fake encounter by Gujarat Police near Ahmedabad, with Kausar Bi allegedly murdered shortly thereafter.

In December 2006, Prajapati, a crucial witness in the case, was also killed in another alleged encounter.

The Supreme Court of India later transferred the investigation to the CBI and moved the trial to Mumbai.

Throughout the investigation, the CBI detained several senior and junior police officers from Gujarat and Rajasthan, including Amit Shah, who is currently India's Union Home Minister but was discharged from the case in December 2014.

This case has seen a lengthy legal struggle lasting over a decade, with more than 16 of the original 38 accused ultimately discharged before the trial's conclusion.