CBI's turnaround in Sohrabuddin case

Ahmedabad: Under pressure in the aftermath of the Sohrabuddin case, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on June 30, 2010, hit out at the CBI.

Modi said, "Isn't this an insult to Gujarat's judiciary. An insult to our law abiding nature. How long can we tolerate this?"

As Narendra Modi tried to milk political advantage from the CBI's move to get the Sohrabuddin case shifted out of Gujarat, the central investigating agency swung into damage control.

The CBI has told a Gujarat court: "We have not asked the Supreme Court to shift the case out. But if the atmosphere is not conducive, we may do so."

The CBI's sudden statement on the shifting of the case during a hearing on Amit Shah's bail application seemed calculated to puncture Modi's attempt to politicise the issue. (Read: CBI seeks Amit Shah's custody; court adjourns bail hearing)

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In court, the CBI opposed Shah's bail plea so that it could probe larger links specifically that into the syndicate of politicians, goons and policeman who ran an extortion racket with Sohrabuddin.

"First they went after Amit Shah, then Narendra Modi, then the Rajasthan BJP. It's clearly political," said Ram Jethmalani, Amit Shah's lawyer.

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The CBI has come in for a lot of criticism for not demanding police custody soon after Shah surrendered and with the order on the bail plea just two days away, many believe the agency may have lost out on time to interrogate him in custody.