Additional sessions judge, Mohali, Sandeep Kumar Singla, on Thursday allowed the complainant-cum-eyewitness in a 2017 murder case to be examined through videoconferencing.
The complainant, Lovejyot Singh, had to fly to Canada to ‘save his life’, said his counsel.
In September 2017, a murder case was registered in Banur pertaining to a contract killing wherein accused Nirmaljit Singh, alias Nimma, Sukhjit Singh and others had hired members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to kill Daljit Singh, alias Pinchi, uncle of the complainant .
Lovejyot’s counsel Charanjit Singh Bakshi stated that the complainant was repeatedly threatened and forced to even file a writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana high court (HC) for security. The same is still pending, he said, adding that due to continuous threat to his life, Lovejyot had to “flee” to Canada to “save his life”. The HC had directed the trial court to record the statement of the complainant on September 24, following which an application was moved before the trial court apprising it of the ‘severe’ threat to his life and his inability to come to India.
The court, after perusing numerous guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court and other HCs about the recording of evidence through videoconferencing, held that this was a fit case for the complainant’s testimony to be recorded in such a manner. The court also perused the model rules on videoconferencing received from the apex court that have been duly circulated by the registrar general, Punjab and Haryana high court.
{{/usCountry}}The court, after perusing numerous guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court and other HCs about the recording of evidence through videoconferencing, held that this was a fit case for the complainant’s testimony to be recorded in such a manner. The court also perused the model rules on videoconferencing received from the apex court that have been duly circulated by the registrar general, Punjab and Haryana high court.
{{/usCountry}}A bare reading of the same provides as to how evidence of witnesses or accused is to be recorded through videoconferencing. The next date of hearing has been fixed for October 5, 2021.