Siliguri, Aug. 6: The advocates sent to Jalpaiguri by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha to help Chattrey Subba, who has been lodged in jail since an alleged murder attempt on Subash Ghisingh on February 10, 2001, have said the prosecution is delaying the hearing on flimsy grounds.

Dinesh Chandra Rai and Taranga Pandit, both central committee members of the Morcha, visited the district and sessions’ court in Jalpaiguri yesterday. They also met Subba in jail.

“A petition filed by the prosecution on August 4 said Ghisingh could not appear for deposition as he had been gheraoed by the Nari Morcha, which is wrong,” Rai said. “Ghisingh is staying at a bungalow on the outskirts of Siliguri, but located within Jalpaiguri district. He can be easily taken to Jalpaiguri for the hearing.”

The lawyers also objected to the apprehension expressed in the petition over the deposition of five constables currently posted in different police stations of Darjeeling district. “The apprehension that if the constables depose, they might face social boycott in the hills holds no ground,” said Rai.

Subba was arrested from the Indo-Nepal border on March 24, 2001 and has been in jail since then. The hearing of the case started on September 19, 2003 and till date, 68 of the 76 witnesses have appeared in court.

“The court had fixed September 4-6 to hear the remaining witnesses,” Subba’s lawyer, Akhil Biswas, said.

Rai and Pandit will not plead Subba’s case in court, but instead assist his lawyers.