Mumbai train firing case: Dismissed RPF man seeks to be shifted to jail closer to court

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Dismissed Railway Protection Force constable accused of killing four persons inside a train in July last year, Monday sought transfer from the prison in Akola where he is lodged to a facility closer to the Dindoshi court in the north-west part of Mumbai for the sake of "fair trial and justice".

Akola, in the state's Vidarbha region, is more than 550 kilometres from the metropolis.

Additional Sessions Judge A A Ayachit sought a report from the authorities of Arthur Road (in Mumbai) and Taloja jails (in Navi Mumbai) on whether the accused Chetansinh Chaudhary, can be lodged at these facilities, newswire PTI reported. The judge also directed Akola jail authorities to produce Chaudhary before court during the next hearing on March 30.

In his plea moved through advocate Jayant Patil, the accused said he was shifted to the "remote and unsafe" prison without taking any opinion or order from the magistrate court, which had heard the case during the remand stage.

In the plea, Chaudhary claimed he was transferred to Akola Central Jail on safety grounds and that he had not been produced before the court for a long time.

The Arthur Road and Taloja prisons are safer and convenient as they are just 25 kilometres and 49 kilometres, respectively, from Dindoshi sessions court, the plea contended.

The application said the accused was facing serious charges, and hence, his presence in the courtroom was necessary for fair trial and natural justice.

It is the duty of every jailor to keep an inmate safe and, hence, shifting Chaudhary to a "remote jail for safe custody is not a valid reason", the plea filed by Patil claimed.

Furthermore, Patil orally submitted before court that he wants to move discharge application and requires instructions from the accused.

Chaudhary is accused of gunning down his superior officer ASI Tika Ram Meena and three passengers onboard the Jaipur-Mumbai Central Express near Palghar on July 31 last year.

He was held with his service weapon from along the railway tracks at Mira Road after passengers pulled the train's alarm chain. (With inputs from Press Trust of India)