The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the new revelations in the actor rape case has sought more time for completing the investigation in the case.
When the special court trying the case took up the matter on Thursday, the prosecution submitted that a detailed investigation was needed following the revelation made by a filmmaker. The prosecution also submitted that its petition seeking more time to complete the investigation was likely to come up before the Supreme Court on Monday.
Witnesses’ examination
The special court posted the examination of four witnesses, which was permitted by the Kerala High Court the other day, to January 22, and the examination of an official of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) on January 25. Though the prosecution sought to postpone the examination of the witnesses by at least one week, as the witness was staying in Tamil Nadu, the trial court refused to accede to it.
Declining the plea of Additional Public Prosecutor K. B. Sunilkumar, Special Judge Honey M. Varghese pointed out that the Kerala High Court had instructed the trial court to complete the examination of the witnesses in 10 days of the receipt of its order. The judge also read out the relevant portions of the High Court order regarding the timeframe for the completion of the witnesses’ examination.
The court posted for January 25, the plea of actor Dileep, the eighth accused in the case, to secure digital evidence of the alleged sexual assault. The actor had approached the trial court with a plea that the investigation officer be asked to deposit the evidence with the court as he apprehended that the prosecution may use it to implicate him.
‘Pulsar’ Suni’s plea
The plea of ‘Pulsar’ Suni, the first accused in the case, to approach a lawyer and another request to seek medical aid for mental distress were posted for January 25. The accused shall be produced before the court through videoconferencing, the court directed.
The contempt of court case filed by actor Dileep against a television channel for airing programmes which he alleged to have interfered with the dispensation of justice, was also posted for January 25.
