PPs denounce defamatory statement against APP
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, November 10 2021: The Additional Public Prosecutors/Special Public Prosecutors of the Prosecution Department, Manipur have vehemently condemned alleged defamatory and malicious statements made against the Additional Public Prosecutor/Special Public Prosecutor, Senapati Koshia Mao on the Facebook page of an online news portal, on October 27 by JAC convenor Merajao Kamei with regard to a sexual assault case of a minor girl of Chini-Inkhon under WPS Bishnupur.

It is said that same post has gone viral in all media through Whatsapp forward.

A press release jointly signed by public prosecutor M Bishambhor Singh, additional public prosecutors A Nilachandra Singh, A Gopendro Sharma, P Dhanakumar Singh, T Bipinchandra and Unison Duidang, special public prosecutors Aribam Ashok Sharma, Danny, M Raichand and A Neelakumar decried that the statement was a clear case of character assassination and trying to tarnish the image of Koshia Mao, and it has been even more stunned and alarmed by the ploy being executed by a group of people with communal agenda.

It contended that the JAC convenor and the journalist have no right to comment on a case which has not even started trial and they are not authorised to do media trial.

Granting of bail is the discretion of the court and the public prosecutor has nothing to do with it.

If aggrieved, they could have requested the special public prosecutor to pray for filing application for cancellation of the bail, the release pointed out.

Speaking about the special public prosecutor with regard to the Lhukhosei Zou case which was disposed on December 21,2020 was uncalled as the matter of the press statement was relevant to a POCSO Case.

The judgment/order was pronounced by the judge and not by the public prosecutor, it explained, while adding that the special public prosecutor had done her duty by putting up before the public prosecutor for sending up for appeal as it was a fit case for appeal by giving six grounds of appeal, the media post and the statement made against the special public prosecutor had created doubt in the minds of the common people and affected the sentiments of the whole prosecution and the criminal justice system, it contended.

While urging state machinery and the law enforcing authority to take immediate steps, the release asked the JAC convenor Merajao Kamei and the online news portal to clarify on their statements at the earliest or else the prosecutors would be compelled to take up further course of action.

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