Narandas murder trial delayed again

150913: Beauty pageant organiser and former journalist Farook Khan, right, has been accused of making a pass at Rajiv Narandas’s girlfriend, Samantha, above. Picture BONGANI MBATHA PICTURE BONGANI MBATHA

150913: Beauty pageant organiser and former journalist Farook Khan, right, has been accused of making a pass at Rajiv Narandas’s girlfriend, Samantha, above. Picture BONGANI MBATHA PICTURE BONGANI MBATHA

Published Mar 7, 2014

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Durban - The six-year murder trial of Durban businessman, Rajiv Narandas, was postponed yet again in the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court.

This time the Department of Justice had failed to transcribe the forensic report of independent pathologist, Dr Reggie Perumal.

The matter was adjourned to March 28.

As a result of this lapse, Perumal’s evidence was not included in the documents detailing the final arguments to court, scheduled to be presented on Friday.

The postponements in this murder trial have left both parties - the family of murder victim Veenand Singh and Narandas himself - frustrated.

Jeffrey Singh, the deceased’s uncle, said today the postponements amounted to a miscarriage of justice.

“It is shocking to see the judicial process conducted like this, with endless delays which have taken a toll on my family,” he said.

“Veenand’s parents (Roy and Ishara Singh) have lost so much weight, they are a third of their size due to the stress. Compare it to the Oscar Pistorius case, which is going ahead after only a year. It is not fair, and we are losing faith that justice will ever be done.”

Narandas is charged with the murder of Singh, 32, in the parking lot of the Shoukara night club in Sandton on July 13, 2008.

For two months during 2012, state evidence went “missing”, only to be “found” by prosecutor Adele Barnard and handed over to magistrate Reiner Boshoff.

At the time, Boshoff said he would study the written transcripts of all the evidence before delivering judgment in August 2012.

Now, almost two years later, Boshoff has yet to be presented with all the documents.

Neither Narandas nor his defence advocate, Mannie Witz, was in court on Friday.

Perumal was the last defence witness called in the trial.

This prompted Barnard to call pathologist, Professor Gert Saayman, to dispute Perumal’s version of events.

Perumal found that it was possible that a sword-like instrument caused Singh’s fatal wound.

Witness Paroshen Singh told the court that he saw Narandas fetch a “weapon” from under his car seat, then hold it above his head.

Narandas is on R5 000 bail.

Daily News

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