Tripura HC asks govt to appoint additional public prosecutors urgently

The Tripura High Court has directed the state government to immediately take steps for appointing additional public prosecutors in the High Court, observing that the existing Public Prosecutor was unable to attend proceedings in all courts alone.

The direction was passed by a division bench comprising Justice T Amarnath Goud and Justice S Datta Purkayastha while hearing a matter on Wednesday.

The bench noted that when the case was taken up on Tuesday, the Public Prosecutor was absent and was represented by advocate K Pandey, who informed the court that the PP was engaged in another court.

According to the order, a similar situation arose again on Wednesday when the matter was called.

“For the past several months it is experienced by this Court that the learned Public Prosecutor has been all alone appearing before the Courts and he is not in a position to justify attending and representing the matters in all Courts,” the bench observed.

The court said it was time for the government to address the issue by appointing sufficient additional public prosecutors to assist Public Prosecutor Raju Datta in conducting cases before the High Court.

“The Chief Secretary, Government of Tripura, is directed to look into the matter and take up the issue immediately with the concerned authority so as to make immediate arrangements for the engagement of Additional PP to represent in the High Court,” the order stated.

The bench also warned that if no suitable arrangement was made by the next date of hearing, the court would proceed with hearing and disposal of matters in the absence of the Public Prosecutor.

“In the event, if the government fails to make any suitable arrangement on the next date, this court shall have no hesitation but to hear and decide the matter in the absence of the learned Public Prosecutor,” the order said.

The matter has been listed for further hearing on May 19.

The court further directed that copies of the order be furnished immediately to the Chief Secretary and the Public Prosecutor of the High Court of Tripura.

According to available information, there were two additional Public Prosecutors associated who used to assist the public prosecutor. One of them got a government job and another additional public prosecutor was removed in the month of February. Since February, Public Prosecutor had been appearing for all the matters assigned to him all alone and in some instances multiple matters collided on the same date and time leading to complications.