In a significant development, all six accused in the Parliament Security Breach case have opted for a change in legal representation. They will now be collectively represented by a single private counsel. It is to be noted that all six accused were physically presented before the court during the hearing. Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Dr. Hardeep Kaur scheduled the next hearing for March 11, extending the judicial custody of all accused individuals until that date.
Advocate Somarjuna has been appointed to represent all the accused, replacing the previously assigned Legal Aid counsel provided by the court. Neelam Azad, in court, expressed her desire to change her counsel and highlighted her ongoing back pain, lamenting the lack of medication despite being prescribed for the past 20 days. Responding to Azad’s concerns, the court directed her counsel to file an appropriate application seeking necessary directions to the jail authorities regarding medical care.
Previously, on January 31, 2024, the accused had filed an application alleging coercion to sign numerous blank pages and endure torture, including electric shocks, during custody. The application de tailed instances where accused individuals were compelled to associate themselves with a political party on paper. Moreover, it alleged coercion during polygraph, narco, or brain mapping tests to implicate a political party or leader in their involvement.