DINDIGUL: Principal District and Sessions Court Judge K. Murali Sankar adjourned the temple pujari suicide case to March 1 here on Tuesday directing the public prosecutor to bring an order from the High Court to conduct trial further, failing which the court would proceed accordingly. He directed the police to produce rest of the witnesses on that day.
Six accused including O. Raja, brother of former Chief Minister O. Paneerselvam appeared before the court this morning. After a gap of seven months, Special Public Prosecutor B. Mohan, who resigned his post in July last year citing poor cooperation from the police, appeared before the court expressing his wish to conduct the trial.
But defense counsel M. Kannappan raised objection stating that he had resigned his post and the petitioner had approached the High Court for appointment of a public prosecutor. As the petition for appointment of new public prosecutor was pending before the High Court, it was not possible for him to appear. Stating that the trial was paralysed for the past seven months, he said that the court had lost valuable time. The court should continue the trial and examine the witnesses, he appealed.
On hearing the arguments, the PDJ advised the public prosecutor to get order in this connection on or before March 1. Otherwise, the court will proceed accordingly.
Special Public Prosecutor B. Mohan had resigned his post in July last year. Then PDJ R. Poornima had advised the complainant to arrange a new public prosecutor to expedite the trial on July 1. Twenty one witnesses were examined so far of which six turned hostile. Examination of police officers as witnesses alone was pending.
The Theni Principal District and Sessions Court had transferred the case to Dindigul Court on November 25 in 2015. The Madurai Bench had directed Dindigul court to complete the case within four months.
S. Nagamuthu (22) of T. Kallupatti village, a Dalit, who worked as pujari in Sri Kailasanathar hill temple in Periyakulam had committed suicide by hanging on December 8, 2012 after he was allegedly subjected to harassment.
