SC puts brakes on trial in Rizwanur case

The apex court said that the trial in the Rizwanur Rehman case would not commence till the Calcutta HC decides the petition filed by industrialist Ashok Todi challenging CBI's decision to chargesheet him in the case.

The Supreme Court on Monday said that the trial in the Rizwanur Rehman case would not commence till the Calcutta High Court decides the petition filed by industrialist Ashok Todi challenging CBI's decision to chargesheet him in the case.

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A bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan asked the High Court to dispose of the petition filed by Todi, Rizwanur's father-in-law, at the earliest.

Todi, along with six others, was chargesheeted by the CBI on September 22 for alleged abetment of Rizwanur's suicide. A Metropolitan Magistrate in Kolkata has asked the accused to appear before it on October 27.

In his petition, Todi sought a stay on the proceedings in the trial court alleging that the CBI was only allowed to find out the nature of the death of Rizwanur but it had filed a charghesheet.

Besides Todi, the chargesheet named his brother Pradeep, brother in-law Anil Saraogi, IPS officer and former Deputy Commissioner of Kolkata Police Ajoy Kumar, former Assistant Commissioner of Police Sukanti Chakraborty, sub-inspector Krishnendu Das and Rizwanur's neighbour S M Moinuddin alias Pappu.

According to the CBI probe, the Todis had allegedly used pressure tactics to drive Rizwanur to suicide and the CBI has sought to prosecute the seven persons on charges of abetting it, criminal intimidation and conspiracy.