Keenan-Reuben murder case now in women's court

The sessions court on Monday transferred the Keenan-Reuben murder case to the women’s court presided over by judge Vrushali Joshi. The court accepted the transfer application filed by Avinash Bali who is the complainant in the case.

Bali’s application claimed that as there were too many women witnesses in the case they would be more comfortable in deposing before the woman judge than a male one.

The defence counsel, while opposing the application, had argued that the women witnesses have already recorded their statements before the male investigating officers, and so, on the same line, they can depose before the present court presided by a male judge. The defence counsel also claimed that the application is a way adopted by the complainant to prolong the trial in the case.

To this, advocate Jehangir Khajotia, Bali’s counsel, replied, “When the women witnesses had to record their statement in the police station, they never had an option of filing any application. But with regard to the court, the law has given us an option to plead the court to assign a woman judge to conduct the trial. Also, the women witnesses will be more comfortable deposing before a woman judge than a male one.”

Keenan Santos and Reuben Fernandez were allegedly killed by four eve-teasers when the duo tried to protect their female friends from the group in Amboli on October 20, 2011.

@DNA