The Hindu : National : Teesta tutored me: Nafitullah

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 25, 2004

National

National

Teesta tutored me: Nafitullah

By Our Special Correspondent

MUMBAI, NOV. 24. Nafitullah Sheikh today said that Teesta Setalvad and her associate, Rais Khan, had told him that they would show him photographs of the accused in the Best Bakery case, whom he would have to identify in court.

He is the brother of Zahira Sheikh, the main witness in the Best Bakery case.

In his cross examination in the Best Bakery retrial here by defence counsel, Vinayak Bichu, Nafitullah said that when he was staying in Mumbai at Yari Road, he used to be taken to Ms. Setalvad's office by "her men" and Rais Khan and she used to always be present. "I don't know why Teesta's organisation was spending money, and providing rations etc for us every month," he said.

`False evidence'

He said that Ms. Setalvad and Rais Khan used to say that he would have to give "false evidence" at the Mumbai court. They told him about the kind of statements he would have to make in the court too. He was also told he would have to identify the accused persons in the court room.

Nafitullah has been maintaining that he cannot identify any of the accused and he had not named them in his statement. He also repeated that his first wife, Yasmin, was not present at the time of the attack on Best Bakery as she had gone to stay at Chota Udepur for her delivery. He said she had lived with him at their house in Navapura in Baroda but not at their house adjacent to Best Bakery. He said he was married to Yasmin four years ago and on July 19, 2001 there was a ceremony held for her, after which she left for her native village. After that no one went to meet her. On September 25, 2001 she delivered a baby girl and even after that no one went to meet her from his family.

Yasmin had sent a notice dated January 23, 2002 through a lawyer saying that her husband neglected her. Nafitullah said that his father, who received the notice, was shocked by its contents and died after that. Nafitullah's cross-examination ended today.

His first wife, Yasmin, was summoned again for cross-examination. She was asked by the senior defence counsel to identify her signatures on the summons received by her and two other statements. The defence has been asking the prosecution to produce two of her statements made to senior police officials in Baroda last year. The prosecution opposed it saying these two documents are not connected with this case. However, the two statements will be produced in court tomorrow.

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