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Dileep | Photo: Mathrubhumi
New Delhi: The survivor of the 2017 actress assault case said that a situation should not arise wherein Dileep decides which witnesses need to be examined. A Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Maheshwari stated that the High Court or the top court are not the ones making decisions on who should be examined. The apex court also directed the trial court to take measures to complete the trial in the case quickly.
Appearing for the survivor, senior advocate R Basanth stated that the delay in the completion of the trial should not create a situation wherein the accused decides which witnesses should be examined.
Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who appeared for Dileep, pointed out that several of the witnesses who the prosecution requested to be examined, are irrelevant in the case. The top court, however, stated that it cannot direct which witnesses should be examined. With this, the prosecution can re-examine witnesses including Manju Warrier in the case.
Representing the state government, advocate Ranjith Kumar and standing counsel Nishe Rajan Shonker stated that despite lengthy cross-examinations by the lawyers of the accused, it is confident that the trial in the case could be completed within 30 working days.
However, the top court refused to set a time limit for the completion of the trial. Instead, it directed the trial court to submit a report on the progress of the trial on March 24, when the petition will be next heard.
The prosecution and the accused assured the apex court that they would cooperate in the completion of the trial. The trial court judge had sought six months for the completion of the trial.
Meanwhile, the High Court postponed the witness examination of Manju Warrier to February 21. The witness examination was to be conducted on Thursday.
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