- Zaheera Sheikh
Zaheera Sheikh ( _gu. જ઼્આહીરા શેખ), aka Zahira Sheikh, is the
witness in India'sBest Bakery case . She is the daughter of the owner of the bakery involved in the Best Bakery case.Fact|date=January 2008On
March 1 ,2002 , 12 Muslims and 2 others were burnt alive in the premises of the bakery by Hindus.She has indicated her desire to contest elections for the
Gujarat elections if she was fielded by a political party. [ [http://www.hindu.com/2007/06/20/stories/2007062051350100.htm Zahira wants to contest elections] ]In January
2005 , theSupreme Court of India ordered an inquiry into the repeated change of statement by Zaheera. In August 2005, a Supreme Court committee indicted Sheikh as a "self-condemned liar" falling to "inducements" by "certain persons" to give "inconsistent" statements during the trial of the case. [ [http://www.rediff.com/news/2005/aug/29best.htm Supreme Court panel calls Zahira a liar] ] The sis-in-law of Zaheera claimed that Zaheera was lying. [ [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/86102.cms Sister-in-law says Zahira is lying] ]In March
2006 , theSupreme Court of India found her guilty ofperjury in the same case. She was sentenced to a year in prison and was also fined an amount equal to Rs. 50000 (approximately $1100). [ [http://www.indianexpress.com/india-news/full_story.php?content_id=89389 Zaheera Sheikh turns herself in, says don’t send me to Gujarat] ] The court also instructed tax authorities to investigate her assets since the start of the infamous trial as she is widely suspected of having accepted numerous bribes to change her testimony in court. She was ordered to undergo her term in aMumbai prison.Fact|date=January 2008The Indian newspaper, Tehelka, aired a secretly-filmed video in which the politician Madhu Srivastava is alleged to have paid 1.8m rupees ($41,000) to Zaheera. Both have denied giving or receiving the bribe. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4117875.stm Politician denies bribing witness] ]
The Majlis-e-Shura, an apex decision making body of Muslims in India, declared Zaheera an outcast after it learned of the Tehelka reports, and Zaheera's false statements. Islamic scholars denounced "lying" as against "the principles of Islam and Koran". [ [http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/dec/24best.htm Masjlis-e-Shura declares Zaheera an outcast] ]
References
External links
* [http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/jul/08spec.htm "Why did Zaheera Sheikh have to lie?"] -
rediff.com article dated July 8, 2003
* [http://www.hindu.com/2007/06/20/stories/2007062051350100.htm Zahira wants to contest elections]The Hindu - Jun 20, 2007
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