The Haryana trial court judge hearing the murder case of Junaid Khan, the teenager who was lynched on a train coming from Delhi in June, has sought action against the state's Additional Advocate General Naveen Kaushik for helping the accused persons in the case.
Additional Sessions Judge YS Rathore, in an interim order on October 25, said the senior law officer was helping the defence counsel in the cross examination of witnesses put forward by the prosecution. He even suggested questions to be put to them, the judge said, according to media reports.
Junaid Khan was stabbed to death on June 22 over a quarrel of sharings of seats on the train in which he travelling with his brother and two cousins. Junaid’s brother Haseeb said his skull cap was pulled off his head and his beard yanked, while the crowd hurled abuses at the brothers calling them "beef eaters" and "anti-nationals."
Underlining the sensitivity of the case, the court said that "according to prosecution case, one boy of minority community was killed during the quarrel in a train over sharing of seats with passengers of majority community after the deceased was allegedly abused on religious lines”
A law officer of the state appearing for the accused "will send a wrong signal and will also create a feeling of insecurity amongst the victim party and will adversely effect the aim of the court to conduct free and fair trial," the judge said.
"This act of Mr. Naveen Kaushik, Additional Advocate General Haryana amounts to professional misconduct and is against legal ethics and highly unbecoming of an Advocate, particularly because he is a Law Officer in the office of Advocate General, Haryana," the judge said.