Two lawyers representing Kannada actress Maria Susairaj, an accused in the 2008 Neeraj Grover murder case, on Monday withdrew from the case objecting to allegations of threatening a prosecution witness.
Lawyers Sudeep Pasbola and Acharya Murthy told sessions judge CA Jadhav on Monday that they wished to withdraw from the case as they found the allegation
of threatening a witness “greatly disturbing”. The court has given Susairaj’s brother, Richard, a week’s time to appoint a new defence lawyer.
A prosecution witness, Usha Ramalu, was allegedly offered money on Saturday to not testify before the trial court on Monday. She was also allegedly threatened with dire consequences by one Raju Wankhede if she deposed in court. Wankhede, who was arrested on Saturday, allegedly acted at the behest of Susairaj’s lawyer Murthy and another lawyer, Raja Thakur.
Ramalu, a “panch” witness, has deposed in the ongoing Grover murder trial and had told the court how Susairaj had allegedly led the police to the spot where she and naval officer, Emile Jerome Mathew, disposed the body of Grover on May 7 last year.
“This person kept calling me over a week saying that he had some work with me,” Ramalu told the court on Monday.
“I called him to my office on Saturday. He offered me money for not deposing in the court. When I asked him who had sent him to me, he mentioned Murthy and he got me to talk to another lawyer, Raja Thakur, on the phone,” she added. The next hearing will be held on September 15.
