MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court recently directed a trial court in Kumbakonam to complete the trial in a case registered by Idol-Wing police over the theft and smuggling of several idols from ancient temples in Ariyalur, within a month.
Justice Sathi Kumar Sukumara Kurup gave the direction while dismissing a petition filed by 73-year-old US-based antique dealer Subhash Chandra Kapoor, one of the accused in the case, to recall 17 witnesses in the case for cross-examination.
Kapoor claimed that he lacked sufficient documents to cross-examine some of the witnesses and his counsel, who was in Chennai, was also unable to travel to the Kumbakonam court due to lockdown restrictions earlier. Though he submitted an application before the trial court to recall those witnesses, the trial court dismissed it, he added.
But the Additional Public Prosecutor denied the allegations saying none of the witnesses was examined during the lockdown period. “The case now stands posted for arguments and after completion of the trial, Kapoor is to be handed over to the authorities in Germany where he is facing similar cases,” he said.
Justice Kurup opined that after failing to cross-examine the witnesses in the first instance, the petitioner cannot ask for recalling the witnesses as it will amount to harassing the witnesses and protracting the trial. Dismissing Kapoor’s plea, he directed the Special Judge for Idol Theft Cases in Kumbakonam to complete the trial within a month.
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