Then deputy superintendent of police M L Parmar, then inspector Balkrishna Choubey, police constable Ajay Parmar and police constable Shantaram Sharma - all from Gujarat police and senior inspector Abdur Rehman, then sub-inspector Himanshu Singh Rajawat, then sub-inspector Shyam Singh - all from Rajasthan police deposed before additional sessions judge Sunil Kumar Sharma, who presides over a special CBI court, for recording of statements under section 313 of Code of Criminal Procedure.
The judge conducting the trial of twin encounters of Sohrabuddin Shaikh and Tulsiram Prajapati and mysterious rape and murder of Kauser Bi - is recording statements of accused before defence witnesses are called in.
"The case is a result of rivalry among top police officials and charges are politically motivated," said Parmar, who was the investigating officer to probe the encounter of Sohrabuddin Shaikh, a gangster with links to Laskar-e-Taiba.
According to him, after the encounter, he received instructions from his superior officers DG Vanzara and Rajkumar Pandian to take up the investigations.
In his deposition, Singh said that the case is a result of senior police officers of Gujarat eyeing top posts.
"I have not taken part in any such operation of the ATS (of Gujarat police)... I never did anything wrong. I was falsely chargesheeted...," said Chaubey.
On his part, Rajawat said that the case is because of the rivalry of top officers and the political situation of that time. "Facts were twisted (before the Supreme Court)," he said.
'CBI made me accused'
The owner of Arham farm, Rajendra Jirawala, where Kausar Bi was abducted and kept, said that he extended full cooperation but framed. "The Gujarat CID made me a witness but CBI made me an accused," he said, adding that he was outstation for the marriage of his daughter. Rajendra was brother of Surendra Jirawala, a BJP corporator. The Arham farm is located between Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.
Prove innocence
In a new twist, Abdur Rehman, senior inspector of Rajasthan police, who has been accused by CBI of opening fire on Sohrabuddin Shaikh, has decided to call in defence witnesses to prove his innocence. "I will like to call in defence witnesses," he said deposing before special CBI judge SK Sharma. "It is a fake chargesheet, I am innocent. The investigation agency also misused my name,' he added. The entire case is fabricated against me, it was motivated, witnesses were forced to give false statements against me," said Rehman. "I have no role in the alleged fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Shaikh and the conspiracy behind fake encounter of Tulsiram Prajapati," he said.