New Delhi: The Supreme Court has rejected the Kerala government's demand to change the judge overseeing the trial in the 2017 actress assault case.
The judge cannot be changed as the trial is entering its final stages. In a case that has received a lot of media attention, there may be pressure on the judge. Allegations should not be made by picking individual topics. Instead, the the government should have assisted in the proper execution of the judge’s responsibilities, the Supreme Court said.
The Supreme Court made the observations while upholding the Kerala High Court's decision rejecting the government's same demand. It has given the government a week to appoint a new public prosecutor.
The apex court criticised the state government saying it shouldn’t have made allegations that had the potential to demoralise the trial court judge. It pointed out that the state government could approach the high court if it had any objections to the judge's action or order.
Meanwhile, the government on Tuesday alleged that the trial court had not held any secret trial. It also accused actor Dileep of trying to delay the trial.
The court considered only the state government's argument on Tuesday.
Former solicitor general Ranjit Kumar and standing counsel G Prakash appeared for the state government, while former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi represented Dileep.