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Ravi Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service
Pathankot, August 20
The application moved by Pathankot SSP Vivek Sheel Soni urging the court to pass an order to handcuff all seven accused in the Kathua rape and murder case has been adjourned for August 24.
The SSP had, last week, sought the handcuffing of the accused. The judge had asked Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ramvir to provide him with details of the security arrangements of the undertrials. The DC, in turn, backed the SSP’s plea and maintained that the accused should be handcuffed.
Special public prosecutors (SPPs) Santokh Singh Basra and Jagdeeshwar Kumar Chopra said the judge would now take a final call on August 24.
According to a Supreme Court ruling, the accused can not be handcuffed. However, if the court decides that circumstances require that the undertrials should be handcuffed, the judge can pass orders in this regard.
The SSP had contented that this being a high-profile case having immense media coverage, it was imperative that the accused be handcuffed.
Meanwhile, there was pandemonium in the courtroom on Monday when smoke started emanating from an electrical point that provides electric supply to the air-conditioning system and computers.
Besides the judge, both SPPs, defence counsels Rohit Verma and HS Pathania, prosecution witness Kunal Gupta and all seven accused were present in the court.
“Kunal Gupta, nodal officer of the BSNL, Jammu circle, was being examined by us when a spark took place. The proceedings had to be stalled for sometime before the wires were repaired,” said Chopra.
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