PANAJI
The Bombay High Court at Goa has directed both the prosecution and defense counsels to refrain from unnecessarily seeking adjournments in connection with a murder trial wherein its accused is imprisoned for over five years.
The Bench of Justice Bharat Deshpande further directed the trial court to conduct the trial on a day-to-day basis to conclude proceedings by the end of September this year.
The case revolves around a bail application filed by Dayashankar Sahu (23) of Madhya Pradesh, who along with Umesh Lamani (24) of Karnataka are facing trial for allegedly murdering a 41-year-old hotel and pub owner Vishwajeet Singh in Candolim in 2018.
“It is made clear that the Trial Court shall adhere to the trial program fixed. The Public Prosecutor as well as the learned Counsel for the co-accused persons shall not unnecessarily seek adjournment unless exceptional circumstances require to do so. The Applicant (Sahu) has been in custody for more than five years and therefore, this mandates that the trial shall conclude on a day-to-day basis. Accordingly, the bail Application stands disposed of in the above terms. The learned Trial Court shall complete the trial by September 2024,” reads the order by Justice Deshpande.
The accused had sought bail due to delays in examining prosecution witnesses. However, during the hearing of the plea, the prosecution submitted to the Bench the trial schedule indicating that the trial is now set to be held on a daily basis, with the last witness, an expert from Pune, scheduled to testify on April 18, 2024.
According to the chargesheet, Rathod worked as a tourist guide at Singh's pub and had allegedly stolen Singh's motorcycle before fleeing. Singh had filed a police complaint against Rathod, prompting the police to suspect that the accused sought revenge against Singh for the complaint.
Rathod allegedly took the help of his friend, Sahu, a security guard at a Calangute hotel, to eliminate Singh, as Sahu reportedly had access to swords “murder weapon. Singh and his brother, Abhijit, had been in Goa for nearly a decade, operating hotels in Candolim, Calangute, and Anjuna.
