On March 3, the bench allowed the Uttar Pradesh government to engage forensic experts to reconstruct the four-decade-old illegible FIR in the case, requesting the laboratory’s director not to insist on the original FIR, which was not readily available in the records of the chief judicial magistrate, Kanpur.Even if the CFSL found the contents of the FIR were illegible, the court lab was asked to “identify the Hindi words/expressions” on the basis of which victims might be able to submit their protest petitions in the court concerned.The top court on January 2 permitted the complainants and their families to engage a private counsel to assist the high court in appeals against the acquittals of the accused persons.”If the complainants/victims or their families are not in a position to avail the services of a private counsel, they are permitted to approach the executive chairpersons of the UP State Legal Services Authority/High Court Legal Services Committee immediately,” it said.In the 11 cases, which were reinvestigated and chargesheets were filed, the Uttar Pradesh government appointed Kamlesh Kumar Pathak and Ranjeet Singh as special public prosecutors.”In those cases also, we permit the complainants/victims/ their families to engage counsel for which the trial court is directed to accord necessary permission,” the bench said.If, owing to financial constraints, the top court said, the complainants and their families were unable to engage such a counsel, the district legal services authority will provide the best expert leading lawyer of the sessions division to represent the victims in trial, on payment of special fee.The fee would be sanctioned by the executive chairperson of the UP State Legal Services Authority as a special case, it added.
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