Amit Shah submits passport in court; to visit religious places

Former Gujarat minister Amit Shah, accused in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, today submitted his passport in the special CBI court in Ahmedabad and said he would visit religious places while being out of the state.

His lawyer Mitesh Amin has informed the court of chief judicial magistrate, AY Dave that his client would be available at Gujarat Bhavan in New Delhi, if needed.

While Shah has been asked to remain out of Gujarat by the Supreme court, he would be visiting various religious places across the country, he told the court.

The former minister of state for home was granted bail by the Gujarat high court on October 29.

The CBI, on the same day, appealed in the Supreme Court seeking cancellation of his bail. The apex court, however, refused to modify the high court order.

The apex court had also directed Shah to leave the state till further order and posted the matter for next hearing on November 15.

Shah, a close aide of chief minister Narendra Modi, has been described by CBI as the "kingpin" of the conspiracy leading to the fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Sheikh in November 2005 and killing of two key witnesses, Soharabuddin's wife Kausarbi and his close aide Tulsiram Prajapati.