The Hindu : National : Best Bakery: petitioners 'not consulted'

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Thursday, Jun 10, 2004

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Best Bakery: petitioners 'not consulted'

By Our Special Correspondent

MUMBAI, JUNE 9. The Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), the petitioners in the Best Bakery case in the Supreme Court, were not consulted in the appointment of the public prosecutor for the re-trial in Mumbai, as suggested in the apex court's order.

Ms. Teesta Setalvad, secretary of the CJP, told The Hindu today that "we had suggested several names to the Gujarat Government, but finally the person appointed as the public prosecutor was not anyone we had named."

The re-trial began on June 7, and the Gujarat Government had appointed Atul Mehta as the public prosecutor.

Now the CJP is hopeful that the Maharashtra Government will also appoint a public prosecutor.

Sources said that the Advocate-General of Maharashtra, Goolam Vahanvati, who is a constitutional authority, had opined that the State should appoint a public prosecutor in this case. A list of names has also been sent to the State Government.

Earlier, the Maharashtra Law Minister, Govindrao Adik, had said that the State would only facilitate the trial and it was upto the Gujarat Government to appoint a public prosecutor. However, on June 7, public prosecutor Rohini Salian, asked Additional Sessions Judge, Abhay Thipsay, who is conducting the re-trial, for 15 days time to enable Maharashtra to appoint a public prosecutor.

In its landmark order of April 12, the Supreme Court had directed the State Government to appoint a public prosecutor and "it shall be open to the affected persons to suggest any name which may also be taken into account in the decision to so appoint."

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