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MUMBAI: Responding to a defence plea, a special CBI judge on Wednesday restrained the media from publishing news about the trial in the alleged Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case until further orders.

It said media reports could create security problems for the accused, witnesses and the defence and prosecutor as well. Given the “sensitivity” of the case and the “likelihood” of “untoward” incidents and their possible effect on the trial, special judge S J Sharma said in his four-page order, “I am of the view not to allow the media to make publication of any of the proceedings during the trial in the matter until further order.”

The case involves the 2005 killings of gangster Sohrabuddin, his wife Kausar Bi and his associate Tulsiram Prajapati in an alleged fake encounter.

The trial, which was to commence on Wednesday, is against 22 people, including police personnel from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh and private individuals. Underlining the “sensational” nature of the case, the judge said the case had been transferred to Mumbai court by the Supreme Court.

“Number of witnesses have been examined by the State CID Crime, Gujarat and CBI and the witnesses are police as well as private persons, and in the past four years from the receipt of the chargesheet, 15 accused who are ministers of Gujarat and Rajasthan and high ranking police officers have been discharged,” the judge said.

Charges were recently framed against all the accused. Witnesses summoned before the court remained unavailable on the first day of the trial. Over the last four years, 15 others, including BJP chief Amit Shah and former senior Gujarat police officer D G Vanzara, have been discharged in the case.

The defence even drew parallels with a case in Mumbai in which attempts were made to eliminate senior lawyers, and cited news reports on the 2014 death of CBI judge B H Loya who was presiding over the case at the time of his demise.

When the court allowed media personnel to also make submissions, they spoke of their “constitutional” right to report on the trial. Reporters said the media was restrained in its coverage of sensitive trials such as the 1993 serial blasts and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

The judge complimented the media on its efforts “to throw light” on significant events even at risk of “assault and serious injuries”.

