The stand-off between the prosecution and the trial court considering actor rape case continued with the Special Public Prosecutor abstaining from the court on Tuesday.
Joseph Manavalan, the counsel representing the prosecution informed the Additional Special Sessions Court (SPE/CBI)-3, Ernakulam, which is considering the case, that a petition seeking the transfer of trial to another court was being filed.
The court, which recorded the submission of the prosecution, asked the investigating officer in the case to make immediate steps for resuming the trial in the wake of the Supreme Court directive for the speedy completion of the trial.
The trial was suspended last Thursday on a request from the Special Prosecutor who sought time to to move the High Court to transfer the trial to any other court in the “interest of justice.”
Cancellation of bail
Meanwhile, the trial court has posted for Wednesday, the petitions for cancellation of bail granted to actor Dileep and his petition seeking action against media houses for allegedly reporting the procedures in the case.
The actor’s complaint against some of the members of the Women Collective in Cinema (WCC) for making statements against a few cinema actors would also be considered on the day. The WCC members had alleged in a social media post that some actors, who were examined as witnesses in the case, had turned hostile.
In its petition to the trial court, the prosecution had also raised the apprehension that justice would be denied to the victim in the case in which Dileep is an accused, if the case was tried before the present court.
Incidentally, the prosecution had earlier moved another petition seeking to cancel the bail granted to Dileep on the grounds that he had attempted to influence the witnesses in the case.
‘Partisan approach’
The prosecution is also understood to have filed a complaint before the Registrar General of the Kerala High Court against what it termed as the partisan approach of the trial court judge.
The agency is likely to move a petition before the Kerala High Court shortly seeking to issue directives for a change of court as it believed that a fair trail would not be possible before the present court.
Though the examination of few witnesses has also been scheduled for the day, the prosecutor is unlikely to turn up, according to sources.