Fire incident at PG: Witness to be examined through videoconferencing from Canada

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 16

A local court will examine a witness in a one-and-a-half-year-old fire incident that took place in a PG accommodation here, through videoconferencing from Canada.

The court has issued directions to the District Attorney to coordinate with the Home Secretary, Chandigarh, to get a remote point coordinator appointed in the Indian Embassy, Vancouver, in Canada and procure the presence of prosecution witness Jasmine Kaur on the Embassy premises during the working hour of this court to examine her though a designated videoconferencing software provided by the High Court.

Prosecution witness Jasmine Kaur is an eyewitness to the fire incident that took place on in a PG accommodation in Sector 32-D here on February 22 last year.

The fire broke out on the first floor of the house. Three girls - Muskan Mehta, Riya and Pakshi Grover, all aged between 19 and 21 years, lost their lives in the mishap. As many as 17 girls were present in the house at the time of the incident.

The police registered a case against the accused under Sections 304, 336, 188 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code. The police have already filed a chargesheet in the case against the accused.

The court has also appointed Additional Public Prosecutor Ashok Rohilla as a coordinator at the court point for the videoconferencing.

The court issued fresh directions after the investigating officer told the court that when contacted on phone, Jasmine intimated that the Indian Embassy in Vancouver is at a distance of 200 miles from her residence. She stated that she had neither been contacted by Indian Embassy officials nor intimated the date and time of her presence on the Embassy premises in order to be examined as a witness in this case.

The Additional Public Prosecutor and the Investigating Officer had stated that they had not been able to contact the Indian Embassy concerned in Vancouver. In view of this, Jagdeep Sood, Additional Sessions Judge, issued fresh directions to the District Attorney, Chandigarh, to take up the matter at the appropriate level in order to get prosecution witness Jasmine Kaur examined on October 22 through videoconferencing.

Vishal Garg Narwana, counsel for accused Gourav Aneja, told the court that he had no objection if the prosecution witness was being examined through videoconferencingfrom Canada.

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