The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Verdict in Balakrishna case on Feb. 4

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Wednesday, Feb 02, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Verdict in Balakrishna case on Feb. 4

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, FEB.1. The judgment in shooting case involving the film actor, N. Balakrishna, will be delivered on February 4.

Arguments in the case that began yesterday, concluded on Tuesday with the public prosecutor, A. Ravinder Reddy, clarifying certain points raised by the defence counsel, V. Surender Rao, at the Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court, Nampally, here.

The prosecution maintained that there was no delay in sending the cotton swabs collected from the accused, N. Balakrishna, to the forensic laboratory for chemical analysis.

Mr. Reddy stated that either the court or the Assistant Commissioner of Police concerned was empowered to send the swabs for analysis.

The ACP sending the swabs for examination was well within limits and law, the prosecutor said replying to a question by the Judge, K. Raja Gopala Reddy. The public prosecutor said it was not justified to cast aspersions on police for sending the swabs for analysis after five days.

He requested the court to permit police for initiating penal action under perjury against the witnesses, including the two victims -- film producer, B. Suresh, and astrologer, Satyanarayana Choudhary -- who turned hostile. Police had already filed a petition in this regard on Monday.

`Witnesses detained'

The defence counsel contended that police had initially recorded statements of the two victims as dying declarations and not under Section 164 of Criminal Procedure Code.

"Hence, distraction of statements by these two would not amount to perjury," he argued. The Police allegedly detained the other witnesses for nearly four days before recording the latter's statements, he alleged.

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