Blasts case judge not amused with ‘media-savvy’ defence lawyer

Trivedi made this observation in an order following a revision application by one of the blast accused. Munshi,who had earlier sought the withdrawal of Trivedi from the blast cases,has said he will now move the High Court and seek her withdrawal from the special court. He said the observations by the judge were unnecessary and defamatory.

In a revision application,a relative of Yunus Mansuri – an accused in the serial blasts,had challenged the order of the Metropolitan Court,and sought the custody of a motorbike,which was seized by the Ahmedabad City Detection of Crime Branch for investigation.

In an order pertaining to this application,(a copy of which is available with Newsline),Trivedi also observed that “every next day of the hearing,Munshi would try to sensationalise the issue and scandalise the court by giving interviews to the reporters… and get the matter published in the newspapers.”

Earlier during the hearing of a revision application in connection with the blasts cases,Munshi had sought her withdrawal from all matters relating to the blast case,saying he does not have any hope of getting justice from the court of Trivedi.

Munshi had moved the application after he saw one of the investigating officers in the serial blasts cases,V R Toliya,coming out of the judge’s chamber in February when he (Munshi) was waiting for the judge to come outside the chamber in the courtroom.

In the order,Trivedi explained Toliya’s presence saying that he had come to the chamber “to appraise the Court” about the case details “by way of courtesy.”

Following the application asking the judge to withdraw,Munshi refused to argue in the original Revision Application saying that she should first decide whether she will withdraw from the case or not. When Munshi did not make submissions in the Revision Application,the court dismissed it on merits,treating him as heard,on March 9.

In her order on the revision application,Trivedi meanwhile observed: “it clearly transpires that Munshi is only interested in sensationalising the matter and scandalising the Court,instead of proceeding further with the revision application on merits. Such practice of the lawyers to browbeat the Court or to malign the presiding officer,has been strongly deprecated by the Honourable Supreme Court time and again”.

She also added: “Knowing fully well that the issue involved in the present revision application is of a routine nature,Munshi on every date of the hearing,will spoil the atmosphere of the Court and not proceed with the hearing of the Revision Application.”