Assembly Speaker’s Tribunal hearing ‘defection’ of six former JVM legislators to the BJP, on Wednesday rejected demand of the defense counsel to call again JVM president Babulal Marandi and legislator Pradeep Yadav before the court.
JP Jha, senior advocate appearing in the court from the defence side, argued that since both the leaders are material witnesses in the case continuing for last two years and eight months, he wanted them to reexamined once again. To this advocate from the JVM RN Sahay objected saying that the right to recall any witness for reexamination lies only with the side who has presented the person as witness and not with the opponent.
“Otherwise it is on the discretion of the presiding officer and Speaker Dinesh Oraon rejected the demand looking at it as their delaying tactic. At the same I also requested the court to dispose the case this year otherwise it would reduce to just academic in nature as next elections are due in 2019,” RN Sahay informed.
Out of total 78 witness listed from the defense side, only nine so far has been presented and cross examined. Three witnesses—Ajay Yadav, Rajkumar Nayak and Kumar Pushp Randev—were produced today on which two from Janki Prasad Yadav and one from Navin Jaiswal.
All the witnesses reiterated that on February 8, 2015 a meeting of JVM office bearers took place at Daladali in Ranchi and unanimously decided to merge the party into the BJP. During cross examination, Sahay pressed whether JVM chief Babulal Marandi or its principal general secretary Pradeep Yadav were present at the venue, to which they replied in negative. The lawyer on every occasion mentioned that the statements given by the witnesses have been tutored to them and are false in nature.
Flares also went off once between the lawyers over presenting MlAs Amar Kumar Bauri and Navin Jaiswal as witnesses for their cross examination. JP Jha citing rules objected to the demand of Sahay saying that the prime accused in any case cannot be compelled to present himself ahead of other witnesses and his appearance is a matter of his choice.
Moreover the Speaker looked dissatisfied with the pace of the cross examination continuing. “The intensity in which you should be presenting your witnesses here is missing somewhere. Instead you are presenting rejoinder on every occasion. What I feel that seriousness is lacking from the defense side,” said Dinesh Oraon in his oral submission.