Court directs former Keralam Assembly secretary to appear in person in Assembly ruckus case
The plea of P.D. Sarangadharan, the first witness in the case, seeking permission to be examined online due to poor health, rejected
The Thiruvananthapuram Chief Judicial Magistrate Court on Friday directed former Assembly secretary P.D. Sarangadharan to appear in person to provide his testimony in the Assembly ruckus case. The court rejected his plea seeking permission to be examined online due to health issues.
Mr. Sarangadharan is the first witness in the case. He had earlier approached the court stating that his poor health made it difficult for him to appear in person and requesting permission to testify through an online hearing.
However, the prosecution opposed the request and argued that his physical presence was essential for the examination. The prosecution pointed out that CCTV footage related to the Assembly ruckus and several important documents needed to be examined during the proceedings.
It was also submitted that an online hearing would not ensure the required accuracy in the proceedings. Such factors necessitated the witness to be physically present at the trial. After hearing the arguments from both sides, the court dismissed the plea and directed the former Assembly secretary to appear in person on December 1.
The trial in the Keralam Assembly ruckus case of 2015 had begun on November 3. Former Ministers V. Sivankutty, E.P. Jayarajan, and K.T. Jaleel are among the six accused in the case.
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- ruckus
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