Eighty four workers of Regency Ceramics, Yanam, on Thursday appealed to the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court here to hold a camp court at Yanam for conducting the trial in a criminal case they are faced with in connection with the attack on a police station in 2012.
In this regard, Magapu Subbarao and 83 others of Regency Ceramics filed a petition in Chief Judicial Magistrate Court through their advocate D. Nageswara Rao.
Originally, the workers of Regency Ceramics had gone on a strike in 2012 urging the management to grant wage increment. The month-long strike turned violent on January 27, 2012, when workers clashed with police resulting in a lathicharge, bursting of tear gas shells and the death of staff union president M. Murali Mohan.
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Enraged over his death, the workers allegedly attacked the police station and residences of management staff. In the violence that ensued, the company’s executive Chandrasekar was clubbed to death. The Yanam Police took up the investigation initially. Later it was handed over to the CBI which registered five different cases.
In the case relating to attacking the police station, the CBI filed a charge sheet last month before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Court and cited 84 workers as accused in this case.
Taking up the charge sheet on file, the CJM Court had summoned them for appearance. Following the summons, the workers travelled nearly 820 km from Yanam and appeared before CJM Court on July 11. Then the case was adjourned to August 27 for further proceedings.
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In their petition filed on Wednesday before CJM Court, the workers claimed that the Constitution of India confers certain rights to even accused like equal opportunity to be heard and speedy justice. According to the wishes of accused/ parties and circumstances if provide so, a camp court can be held as decided by parties, the petition stated.
In an appeal to the court to conduct camp court in Yanam for further proceedings, Mr. Nageswara Rao, counsel for the workers said: “The case arose out of an incident in Yanam which is far away from Puducherry. Accused and witnesses cited in this case are all from Yanam. It is just and proper to hold a camp court in Yanam to meet ends of justice.”
Mr. Rao said all accused in this are poor workers and they are not earning as the company remain closed.
They are not in a position to travel so long to attend the case in CJM Court, Puducherry.
When the matter came up before Chief Judicial Magistrate G. Thanendran on Thursday, Special Public Prosecutor for CBI took the notice.
The court directed the CBI to file its response to the petition filed by workers on August 13.