New Delhi, Feb 4 (PTI) A Delhi court hearing a riots' case related to the death of Delhi police head constable Ratan Lal pulled up the accused for not appearing on time and issued a non bailable warrant against him.
Additional sessions judge Pulastya Pramachala was hearing the case registered by Dayalpur Police Station for rioting, murder and other charges in the case, which is at the stage of prosecution evidence.
On January 3, the court said neither the accused, namely, Shahnawaz, nor did his lawyer appear during the hearing. The counsel representing another accused said he did not know his whereabouts.
"Every day, I had been regularly talking to all the accused persons to make them aware that it is their bounden duty to be present in the court sharp at 2 pm. The time was fixed for hearing every day, keeping in view the convenience of defence counsels and the accused also so that they could utilise half of their day," the judge said.
The accused persons, said the judge, coming to court post 2 pm had become a daily occurrence, forcing the court to wait for them.
"For Shahnawaz also, this is not the first time that he is absent. In these circumstances, a lenient approach cannot be continued any more. Issue non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against accused Shahnawaz… There shall be no hearing up to February 10," said the judge.
At the time of the order's dictation, Shahnawaz’s counsel appeared, following which he was apprised of the proceedings. PTI MNR AMK