First witness deposes in Bakery retrial

The Best Bakery retrial got underway on Monday before a special court with the prosecution producing its first witness, a cartographer empl...

The Best Bakery retrial got underway on Monday before a special court with the prosecution producing its first witness, a cartographer employed with the Gujarat government, who had drawn a plan of the area around the bakery. The map was also produced in court.

Referring to his maps, Ratilal Varia informed the court that the structure that was called the Best Bakery comprised two sections — the residential structure, made up of one unit, and the adjoining bakery, made of two units. (Each unit was about 30 ft by 15 ft).

Adjoining these structures were residential buildings, belonging to persons from the majority community. The section which was used for residential purposes was a double-storey edifice. The map-maker also informed the court of the roads in the area and the position of the nearest police station, where the case was registered.

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Varia said none of the distances in the plan was drawn to scale, which the defence insisted was crucial. ‘‘I was also not instructed to make it to scale,’’ Varia said.

The trial was conducted at a new venue, a special courtroom on the fifth floor of Mazgaon Metropolitan court. The day closed with the defence dismissing the cartographer’s submissions. ‘‘You have been sent as a bakra of the state,’’ said defence lawyer Adik Shirodkar.

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