Judge chastises friend for speaking to Mohammed Nisham

Thrissur: The trial court on Friday warned a friend of Mohammed Nisham,  the accused in the Chandrabose murder case,  for speaking to him in the court room without the permission of the judge after the proceedings were over for the day.

Thrissur District Additional Sessions Court judge K.P. Sudhir reprimanded Ratheesh of Palakkad, a staff member of  one of the firms owned by Nisham, and asked the police to note down his details.

Special Public Prosecutor  C.P. Udayabhanu said that even the defence lawyers could not talk to the accused without the court’s permission.

The judge reprimanded the police officers, who were in charge of the security of Nisham,  for  allowing Ratheesh to speak to Nisham who was standing in   the dock.

After the examination of the second prosecution witness K.A. Ajeesh  on Friday noon, the defence  filed a request before the court for the continuous  examination of the next three witnesses without the prosecution cross-examining them in between.

“I opposed it and the court refused to honour such a request from the defence. May be the plan of the defence was to instigate  the witnesses to turn hostile after knowing their stand before the court during the examination by the prosecution,”  Mr  Udayabhanu said.

The examination and cross-examination of the witnesses  would be conducted one after the other, he added.

Ajeesh, like the first witness, firmly stood by the prosecution during the examination and cross-examination.