Apex court halts trial in Rizwanur Rehman suicide case

New Delhi, Oct 13 (IANS) The Supreme Court Monday halted the trial of Kolkata-based industrialist Ashok Todi, who is alleged to have driven his son-in-law Rizwanur Rehman to commit suicide.

Todi is being tried in a metropolitan court in the West Bengal capital in the sensational case of the death last year of Rizwanur Rehman.

A bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan stopped the trial saying let the Calcutta High Court take a final decision on Todi's lawsuit challenging the Central Bureau of Investigation's chargesheet that indicted Todi for abetting the suicide.

The bench, which also included Justice P. Sathasivam and Justice Aftab Alam, also directed the Calcutta High Court to adjudicate Todi's lawsuit as quickly as possible.

The bench, however, gave the Kolkata metropolitan court freedom to frame charges against Todi, the first step taken to initiate the trial against an accused.

Indicted by the CBI for allegedly abetting Rizwanur's suicide, Todi had moved the apex court seeking suspension of the trial court's proceeding against him.

In his petition, Todi had contended that the CBI was only asked by the Calcutta High Court to find out the nature of the death of Rizwanur but it proceeded further and filed a chargesheet against him, seeking his trial for aiding and abetting the suicide.

Besides Todi, the CBI chargesheeted six others Sep 22 for their alleged role in the suicide.

Besides Todi, the chargesheet named Todi's brother Pradeep, brother in-law Anil Saraogi, IPS officer and former deputy commissioner of Kolkata Police Ajoy Kumar, former assistant commissioner of police Sukanti Chakraborty, sub-inspector Krishnendu Das and Rehman's neighbour S.M. Moinuddin alias Pappu.

As per the CBI chargesheet, Todi had driven Rehman to commit suicide by using pressure tactics to prevent him from meeting his daughter, who had married Rehman against her parents' wishes.

The metropolitan magistrate court in Kolkata has asked the accused to appear before it Oct 27.