Observing that the prosecution’s case was based entirely on circumstantial evidence with “several broken links” and that there was “no direct evidence” of the alleged encounters, the Bombay High Court has upheld the acquittal of all 22 accused — including 21 police officers from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh — in the alleged fake encounter killings of Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his wife Kauser Bi, and Tulsiram Prajapati.

A bench led by Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar dismissed appeals filed by Sohrabuddin’s brothers against the 2018 acquittal order, with the detailed judgment being made available late Thursday night.

Upholding the 2018 verdict of the special court, the bench observed, “The case of the prosecution is based on circumstantial evidence, and there are several broken links in the chain of circumstances… The discharge of 16 accused persons against whom the prosecution relied on the same set of evidence cannot be overlooked.”

The bench was referring to the discharge of 16 accused, including…