HC tells Additional District and Sessions Judge I, Madurai
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Friday granted five more months to the Additional District and Sessions Judge I, Madurai, to complete the trial and dispose of the Sattankulam custodial deaths case of trader P. Jayaraj and his son J. Benicks.
Justice K. Murali Shankar took into account the fact that certain case properties remanded in the case had been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, for examination for retrieval of data, including deleted ones.
The report was yet to be received and the authorities were addressed to give it top priority, it was said.
The High Court was told that out of the 105 witnesses, 20 witnesses had been examined.
Taking note of the fact that the trial court had sought five more months to complete, the High Court gave the time and disposed.
The High Court had sought the status and the time required to complete the trial in the case.
In March, the judge had directed the trial court to complete the trial in six months while disposing of a petition filed by J. Selvarani, wife of Jayaraj and mother of Benicks.
She apprehended that since the accused in the custodial deaths case were police personnel, they could topple a fair trial.
The trial in the case should be expedited and concluded within a stipulated period in the interest of justice, she had said.
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