Police, judge indicted for dragging murder case

Chennai, May 3: Madras High Court has indicted police and a sessions judge in Tiruvannamalai district for dragging the trial of a murder case for about eight years.

''All the players in the criminal justice system have contributed their mite to bury the case in the abysmal depth,'' Justice M Jeyapaul observed, while disposing of a petition from one Indirani and her three children, praying for a direction to the police to conduct the prosecution of their father's murder case pending before the sessions judge as early as possible.

They contented that since the accused were influential persons, the case was not taken up.

The judge noted that the murder had taken place on July 8, 1995, the charge sheet had been filed on December 27, 1997, and the court had taken three more years to take cognisance of the offence.

''It is a very unfortunate case where the kith and kin of the deceased had to approach this court to move every inch of the case,'' the judge said and added that it was a classic case where both the courts and the police officials had shown apathy.

The judge directed the sessions court to complete the trial within a month and the police to cooperate in this regard.

UNI