Trial begins on triple murder case
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 01, 2011:
The trial of Hopeson Ningshen, the main accused in the triple murder case of then SDO of Kasom Khullen Dr Thingnam Kishan and his two sub-ordinate staff, and who is currently lodged in Tihar Jail, commenced in the court of Special Judge OP Saini in Patiala House since yesterday.
Senior Public Prosecutor, CBI AK Singh appeared on behalf of CBI, which is investigating into the case while Advocate Pancholi appeared for the accused as defence counsel.
In the court, defence counsel Advocate Pancholi argued that accused Hopeson Ningshen had only ordered the arrest of late Dr Kishan with the 'intention to collect misappropriated fund' and so the news of death of Dr Kishan and his two subordinates had taken Hopeson Ningshen aback.
The defence counsel further submitted that NSCN (IM) has not been declared a terrorist organisation under Unlawful Activity (Prevention) Act, 1967. Hence detention of Hopeson Ningshen is unlawful.
The defence counsel concluded that considering the 'lack of common intension' Hopeson Ningshen could not be accused of masterminding the 'conspiracy of murder'.
However, the Judge pointed out that the copies of chargesheet was made available to the accused well before the commencement of trial.
However, the submission as narrated by the defence counsel has not been made available to the court as documents anytime earlier.
In his argument, the Senior Public Prosecutor AK Singh put forward to the court that NSCN (IM) does not have any right to collect 'misappropriated fund' nor arrest any 'Government servant'.
The present case has been meticulously built up not on the basis of the accused's 'so called retracted confession' but on the 'circumstantial evidence and witnesses' account'.
He further asserted that the charge of 'misappropriation of fund' against late Dr Kishan has been conclusively proved false by the statements given by witnesses.
The next hearing of the trial has been scheduled on February 21 in the same court.
Meanwhile, the Joint Action Committee against the brutal killing of Dr Kishan, Y Token Singh and A Rajen Sharma has entreated the authority concerned to apprehend the remaining three accused without any delay to mitigate any loop-hole in the case since the trial has already commenced.