The Hindu : National : Khairlanji case verdict likely by month-end

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Khairlanji case verdict likely by month-end

Meena Menon

Only 36 of the 70 prosecution witnesses examined; that is enough to provr guilt: CBI

Bhandara court recording statements of the accused
Trial began in May 2007 in the ad hoc sessions court

MUMBAI: The verdict in the case of killing of four members of a Scheduled Caste family at Khairlanji in Maharashtra’s Bhandara district on September 29, 2006 is expected by the month-end. The prosecution has finished examining all witnesses.

CBI senior public prosecutor Ejaz Khan said only 36 of the 70 prosecution witnesses were examined, but that was enough to establish the guilt of the accused. Only one witness Mahadeo Zhanjal turned hostile. The ad hoc sessions court at Bhandara, presided over by S.S. Das, is now recording the statements of the 11 accused.

Though the demands by activists for setting up a fast track court and for a day-to-day trial did not materialise, the case has reached its end in a year. The Central Bureau of Investigation filed the charge sheet in December 2006 and framed charges in March 2007. The trial began in May 2007 in the ad hoc sessions court. The State appointed Ujjwal Nikam special public prosecutor.

On March 31, the court rejected a defence application seeking to examine the Collector, the social welfare officer and the tahsildar to establish its claim that they offered the witnesses incentives —land and jobs — to give statements in favour of the prosecution. Then defence filed an appeal before the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court, which issued notice to the CBI asking it to reply by April 21.

Among others, the prosecution examined Bhaiyyalal Bhotmange, sole survivor of the family, who was a partial eyewitness to the incident in which his wife, daughter and two sons were killed. The bodies, dumped into the Pench canal, were found only the next day.

Defence has been contending that the accused were not responsible for the crime and blamed it on a group of outsiders. The prosecution disproved the defence plea that there was no electricity at the time of the incident and that it was too dark to see anything.

Witnesses from the Electricity Board testified that power supply was available at Khairlanji at the time of the attack on the Bhotmange family. The killings triggered violent protests in the State and finally the case was handed over to the CBI.

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