The Victim’s brother filed an affidavit before the court alleging threats and intimidation to the family and their lawyers during a hearing at the Hathras trial court earlier this month.
It will consider shifting the trial out of the western UP district, said the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, which is monitoring the case of the gang-rape and death of a 20-year-old woman in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras. The development comes after the victim’s brother filed an affidavit before the court alleging threats and intimidation to the family and their lawyers during a hearing at the Hathras trial court earlier this month.
The brother of the woman, in his affidavit before the Allahabad High Court, alleged the incident took place during the March 5 hearing at the Hathras special court.
Calling for a report of the alleged incident, a two-judge bench of the High Court has said that it will consider as to whether the trial in question is required to be stayed and is to be transferred elsewhere. The bench also noted that the CBI also intends to file an application for “transfer of the trial from District Hathras to elsewhere, within the State.”
In its order, the court has described the contents of this affidavit in detail, including threats to the lead counsel for the victim’s family, Seema Kushwaha.
“The presiding judge of the Hathras district court was forced to stop the trial proceedings after “an advocate named Tarun Hari Sharma, stormed into the court room and charged towards the applicant and the complainant counsel, shouting and issuing threats”, the affidavit said. It also stated that it was “evident that the man was under the influence of alcohol.”
“A large mob, including lawyers, entered the courtroom and surrounded the applicant and the complainant’s counsel in order to threaten and intimidate them,” it further stated.
” Acknowledging the real and grave threat” to the counsel for the applicant, the Hathras court ordered police personnel present in the courtroom to provide her security cover within the court premises.
The affidavit stated that since then the lawyer has been unable to appear before the special court due to “risk to her safety and security”.
Listing the case for April 7, the Allahabad High Court has asked the Hathras District Judge to ensure “the trial is allowed to be conducted before the court concerned in a free and fair manner without any outside hindrance”.
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