Chennai: Teacher murder case trial stayed

CHENNAI: The Madras HC has stayed the trial in the murder of school teacher Uma Maheshwari, who was stabbed by a Class X student inside the classroom on February 9 this year. The trial was pending before the 28th Metropolitan Magistrate, also in charge of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB).Vacation judge Aruna Jagadeesan granted the interim stay till June 8, on a petition from the boy’s father seeking transfer of the trial to some other Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) or before some other presiding officer, on Thursday. The trial commenced before the JJB in Kilpauk on May 28.The murder took place at the St Mary’s Anglo-Indian HSS on Armenian Street in Esplanade.Senior advocate R Shanmugasundaram, representing the boy’s father, told the court that the trial had commenced without the boy being furnished with the full charge sheet and other relevant documents.Alleging serious procedural lapses at the JJB, Shanmugasundaram submitted that mandatory requirements stipulated under Sections 207 and 208 of the Code of Criminal Procedure had been violated. Though the two Sections made it clear that the boy should be furnished with a copy of the police report, statements and other documents, the Board furnished only portions of the charge sheet and other documents, that too in two instalments, he contended.