Bombay HC directs expeditious trial in Lahoria murder

Mumbai: The Bombay high court has directed a Navi Mumbai court to expedite the trial in the murder case of the Navi Mumbai builder Sunil Lahoria. In 2013, Lahoria was brutally murdered with sharp weapons outside his office. Later, CCTV footage of the incident went viral. According to the police investigation, business rivalry was the motive behind the murder.

Suresh Bijlani, a builder by profession and the main accused in the Lahoria murder case, had made an application stating that he had been incarcerated for more than five-and-a-half years.

According to Jawahar Chellaram Bijlani, aka Suresh Bijlani, the Apex Court in 2017 had ordered that the trial be “started immediately for framing of charges” and the “examination of the main prosecution witnesses must be completed with expedition.” He brought to the notice of the court that the lower court had not complied with the Supreme Court direction.

Senior advocate Vikram Choudhary, who represented Bijlani in the Bombay high court, informed the division bench of Justices B. R. Gavai and R. I. Chagla that the accused Bijlani had been incarcerated for over five years in relation to the Lahoria murder. The trial was delayed and commenced only a few months ago, he said.

Chaudhary said that the accused is seeking a speedy trial, in compliance with the Apex Court’s order by examining all the eleven prosecution witnesses on a day-to-day basis. The prosecution is expected to examine a total of 70 witnesses in the case.

After hearing the plea, the bench ordered the trial court to first examine the 11 witnesses whose names are mentioned in the state affidavit. The HC further directed that the trial be conducted on a daily basis, taking into consideration the fact that the accused had been incarcerated for a long time.