Karnataka - Bangalore   

Stamp paper trial hits a roadblock

BANGALORE: The trial of the multicrore stamp paper racket cases in Bangalore has hit a roadblock with the failure of the video conferencing unit in Yerawada Central Prison in Pune.

This follows Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. cutting the ISDN line used for video conferencing for non-payment of Rs. 4 lakh in service charges.

As a result, Abdul Karim Telgi, the prime accused in the racket, now lodged in the Pune prison, is not being produced before the special court conducting the cases here through video conferencing. The special court has now directed the Pune prison authorities to physically produce Telgi before it to proceed with cases that have reached final stages. On Thursday, a letter by a Pune prison official was produced before the court stating that they had not produced Telgi because of lack of escorts. On their request for grant of time, the special court adjourned the hearing to June 2.

The connectivity problem with Yerawada Central Prison started shortly after the Special Court started functioning from the new premises in the city after moving from the vicinity of Bangalore Central Prison two months ago.

The court completed gathering evidence in the cases registered with Upparpet police station and the Madiwala police station, pertaining to the two main cases related to the racket. It completed recording the evidence of 456 witnesses in the presence of Telgi, who was being produced from Pune through video conferencing facility.

When the time came to record the statements of the accused, starting with Telgi, the Special Court faced connectivity problems with the Pune Central Prison.

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