more-inIt is the duty of a trial court to ensure fair trial and not to shut its eyes when cross-examination of an important witness is ineffective, a sessions court here has observed. Fair trial“It is the duty of the trial court to ensure fair trial, the object of the trial being to arrive at the truth. “The court cannot shut its eyes in a situation where the cross-examination of a material witness is not just ineffective but practically nil, as happened in the present case. Going by the material on record, in my considered view, the court shall not be able to arrive at the truth without detailed and effective cross-examination of complainant de facto,” it said. Opposing the claim, the prosecutor had said the plea for witness recall was filed at a belated stage and the trial could not be continued forever.

Source: The Hindu August 15, 2017 04:40 UTC