Property grab case: After questions over medical state, court defers victim’s examination

Chandigarh, August 1

Additional Sessions Judge Jagdeep Sood has allowed a plea of the counsel for two accused to file a reply on an application of the prosecution to allow the recording of Rahul Mehta’s statement in the vulnerable witness room.

The court directed the counsel to file the reply on August 6. The court was hearing the alleged property grab case of Sector 37, Chandigarh, today.

After giving no objections for the recording of Mehta’s statement in the vulnerable witness room, Matwinder Singh and Rabindra Pandit, counsel for accused Arvind Singla; and Ashok Sharma, counsel for accused Khalinder Singh Kadiyan, said after making the statement, they realised that a reply to the application was required to be filed.

They further stated that an opportunity be granted to file the reply to the application, as the personal liberty of the accused was involved and the latter should not suffer due to any mistake committed by their counsel.

They stated that Rahul was a victim as well as the main witness of the prosecution. Now, the prosecution termed his medical condition to be such that he needed to be examined in the vulnerable witness room.

In the application, the Public Prosecutor has said the investigating agency has sought the medical history and summary of the treatment provided to Mehta. On July 28, the PGI, Chandigarh, had provided a detailed case history and summary of Mehta. In the light of Mehta’s health condition, the interest of justice warrants that eye-to-eye contact of the victim with the accused be avoided to prevent any untoward incident.