KOCHI: Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court which is hearing the actor abduction case will seek more time from the Supreme Court to complete the trial as the deadline set by the apex court ends on Tuesday.
The prosecution witness examination as part of the trial is expected to be completed by March this year.
It was in September 2022 that the Supreme Court extended the deadline for completing the trial till January 2023. The court has examined 232 prosecution witnesses in the case so far. After the trial resumed in September 2022 after the pandemic, as many as 36 witnesses were examined by the court.
“Several witnesses who were examined during the initial stage of the trial will have to be recalled after a further investigation was conducted based on the revelations of director Balachandrakumar. Similarly, the examination of Balachandrakumar has to be conducted. The re-examination of Manju Warrior should also be conducted.
The court will write to the Supreme court seeking extension of the deadline again,” sources said.Considering the current pace of the trial, the examination of prosecution witnesses is likely to be completed by March this year.