Sabharwal case: Court issues warrant against R Sabharwal

Nagpur, Nov 26 (UNI) A trial court here today issued a warrant against a prosecution witness, who has not appeared for deposition despite being issued two summons, in the sensational Prof H S Sabharwal murder case.

District Judge II B A Shaikh, who is hearing the case, issued the bailable warrant to late Prof Sabharwal's relative Rajendra Sabharwal, who has been cited as a witness by the prosecution.

Rajendra had been issued summons to appear as a witness in the court on September 26 last, but he failed to turn up.

He had been issued another summons to depose in the court today, but he did not appear again. The prosecution then moved an application to issue a warrant against Rajendra, as he was trying to 'delay' the trial deliberately. Judge Shaikh granted the application and directed the warrant to be issued.

The other two witnesses, who deposed today, were Pratap Singh Bhanu Bhadoriya, who has been declared hostile earlier, and Police Inspector Ajit Tiwari.

When the hearing resumes on December 2, Manjeet Singh Sabharwal, another relative of the late Prof Sabharwal, is scheduled to depose before the court, besides eyewitness Rijwan Nagori and Additional Superintendent of Police (SP) Manoj Kumar Singh.

Prof Sabharwal died after being allegedly assaulted by activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in the premises of Madhav College in Ujjain on August 26, 2006. The assault took place after the college authorities cancelled the elections to the students union on the grounds of insufficient quorum.

The case was being heard by a court in Ujjain, but Prof Sabharwal's son Himanshu moved the Supreme Court with a plea to shift the case to a court outside Madhya Pradesh, saying a fair trial was not possible in that state because it was ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The apex court ordered the case to be shifted to Nagpur. Accordingly, the trial resumed before Judge Shaikh here on April 17 last.

UNI AB SSS SKB HS1537