RAMAMOORTHY Vs. STATE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioners in all the above criminal original petitions are the accused in C.C.Nos.74 of 2001 and 75 of 2001 on the file of the Court of Additional Special Judge for CBI Cases, Chennai, which are registered by the respondent on the charges of commission of offences by each of the petitioners punishable under Sections 120-B r/w.s420,467,467 r/w.471,468,468 r/w.471 and Section 13(2) r/w.13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. Since their applications praying to direct the respondent Police to furnish the copies of statements and documents relied on by the prosecution translated to Tamil were dismissed by the Court of Additional Special Judge for CBI Cases, Chennai, they all have come forward to file the above criminal original petitions against the orders of the said Court dated 25.2.2003 made in Crl.M.P.Nos.11 to 21 of 2003 praying to set aside the order passed by the trial Court and direct the learned Judge of the trial Court to furnish the copies of the statements and documents translated to Tamil.

(2.) Regarding the status of the petitioners, they have all been employed in different capacities in the Personnel and Marketing Departments of the United India Insurance Corporation Limited in their Regional Office at Chennai.

(3.) Regarding their knowledge pertaining to the language, they would generally allege that they have studied up to the School final and they are conversant only with Tamil language and since they are not conversant with the English language, they have filed the petitions before the trial Court seeking a direction to the respondent to furnish them the copies of the documents and the 161 Cr.P.C. statements provided to them in Tamil version since they are unable to read, write and understand the documents and the statements in English and unable to effectively instruct their counsel, lest, serious prejudice would be caused to them in defending their case in the trial.