Tis Hazari clashes likely to delay Unnao verdicts

NEW DELHI: The Unnao judgments, which were expected to be delivered by the end of this month, may be delayed owing to the clashes at Delhi’s Tis Hazari courts on November 2 that led to lawyers abstaining from work, sources privy to the case said.
The lawyers’ abstinence from court work, which lasted five consecutive days starting November 4, has impacted proceedings in several important cases, including the Unnao rape case and others related to it.Owing to the stoppage of litigation work, there is a possibility that verdicts in the five Unnao cases will be pronounced no later than the end of the year.
District and sessions judge Dharmesh Sharma was entrusted with the day-to-day hearing and directed by the Supreme Court to complete the trial within 45 days. The investing agency has already sought additional time on multiple occasions to complete its probe and file chargesheets in the five cases.
The hearings in the Unnao cases were underway when the clashes occurred and information reached the court of judge Sharma at around 3 pm. The main accused in the case, Kuldeep Singh Sengar, and co-accused Shashi Singh, were both inside the courtroom.
The incident stemmed from a trivial spat over parking between the lock-up police and a lawyer. Soon after the incident, the tension was palpable. The accused were assured of safety and counseled by court staffers and judicial officers to keep calm. With noise of the quarrelling rising outside, tension inside the courtroom escalated.
Both Sengar and Singh were accordingly told to remain inside the courtroom and not step out during the melee. The proceedings, as a result, were interrupted and the judge had to rush to the place of the incident to take stock.
In the pandemonium, barring the accused and undertrial prisoners, litigants were asked to evacuate the building. The judges then decided to defuse the situation. The undertrial prisoners were escorted to the courtrooms where work had been suspended due to the clashes outside.
A development in a case related to the Unnao incident took place on October 14 when the statement of the survivor’s uncle was recorded. The case related to the alleged murder of her father in judicial custody.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)