MUMBAI, JUNE 22: Yet another witness in the JJ shootout trial, a clerk at the hospital, turned hostile today. The witness, who was maintaining case papers of admitted patients, today retracted his statement that he had seen two of the accused at the hospital before Special Public Prosecutor Rohini Salian.The witness had earlier identified accused Mehboobi Aziz Khan, who is out on bail, and absconding Mohammed Hussain alias Mohammadu who had visited the hospital before the shootout between 1.30 am and 2.30 am on September 12, 1992. Mohammadu had, with the help of a recce, located the whereabouts of Shailesh Haldankar, who was later killed, as well as judged the strength of the police force and their positions in the ward. The witness had earlier said he had prevented both of the accused, who said that they had come to visit one Aziz Khan, from entering the ward. However, the accused had managed to give the witness the slip and entered the ward from another staircase. The witness later identified Mehboobiand Mohammdu, who jumped bail, in an identification parade.However, during examination by Salian, the witness said he did not remember a single event on September 12, 1992 and was declared hostile. He added that his statement to the police was made under duress.The designated TADA court today also rejected the bail application of Zahoor Faki, a relative of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. According to the prosecution case, Faki had carried Satish Rai alias Pradhan who was injured in the cross-firing on September 12 into the car of Jaywant Suryarao, former chairperspn of the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Council. He had also aided the escape of key accused Subhash Singh Thakur and others out of the city.Faki was earlier granted bail by the same court. However Faki failed to appear before the court some months ago on the given dates. The court then summoned his father, who had stood surety when Faki was granted bail. Later, his sister moved an application before the court stating that her brother had goneunderground as he apprehended a threat to his life.Faki later surrendered to the court and is in judicial custody. He then moved another application for bail. Salian opposed the application, saying Faki had breached trust by not appearing before the court on the given dates and hence would abscond if granted bail. The bail application was then rejected by designated TADA judge PK Chavre.
