Khairlanji hearing adjourned till June 30

Nagpur, Jun 13 (UNI) The hearing in the case pertaining to last year's killing of four members of a dalit family by villagers in Khairlanji in Bhandara district of Maharashtra was today adjourned till June 30.

The defence had sought time to move the High Court against the trial court's ruling the re-examination of a prosecution witness after the completion of his examination-in-chief and ross-examination.

First Ad Hoc Judge and First Additional Sessions Judge S S Das in Bhandara, who is hearing the case, granted 15 days time to the defence to obtain a verdict from the High Court, and fixed June 30 and July 2 as the next dates of hearing.

Earlier, special public prosecutor Adv Ujwal Nikam sought to re-examine prosecution witness Mukesh Pusam to remove the ambiguity in the latter's deposition. Pusam's examination-in-chief and cross-examination had been completed before that.

When counsels for the defence opposed the move, the judge overruled the objection and allowed Adv Nikam to proceed. The defence counsel then submitted the application seeking time to move the High Court.

The hearing in the case resumed earlier this week after being adjourned last month when Pusam fainted in the courtroom while deposing. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a chargesheet under sections 120 (B), 302, 449 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and sections 3, 2 and 6 of the Atrocities Act against 11 accused in the case.

Earlier, 36 persons who had been arrested in connection with the case were set free as the CBI did not file any charges against them due to lack of evidence.

Surekha Bhotmange (45), her daughter Priyanka (18), and sons Roshan (23) and Sudhir (21) were lynched by a mob in Khairlanji late on the night of September 29 last over a land dispute.

UNI