Absconding accused in Sohrabuddin case files anticipatory bail plea

One of the absconding accused in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh fake encounter killing case today approached the special CBI court in Ahmedabad for anticipatory bail.Ajay Patel, a close associate of former Gujarat minister Amit Shah arrested in the case, has applied for anticipatory bail in the special CBI court of justice GK Upadhyay.The court will hear the case on August 19.Patel, chairman of the Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank, is accused of threatening witnesses by the CBI in its chargesheet.The court had earlier issued a warrant against Patel, who is absconding since his name appeared in the chargesheet.The CBI has arrested Shah on charges of murder, kidnapping and extortion in the fake encounter case of Shaikh and alleged murder of his wife Kausarbi.The Supreme Court yesterday gave three months' time to the CBI to complete investigations in the case in which four IPS officers, three from Gujarat cadre and one from Rajasthan cadre, are behind bars.