Melee outside, anxious faces inside a packed courtroom

Nagpur: The district and sessions court here, which usually sees an influx of lawyers, attorneys, staff, litigants and few policemen on duty, on Friday turned into a fortress with a large number of police posse guarding the premises inside and outside. It was in anticipation of the judgment in the high-profile Nagpur District Central Cooperative Bank (NDCCB) scam, one of the biggest in the country in the early 2000s.When the court proceedings began, lawyers, litigants, and court staff thronged the the first floor, guessing the verdict and its repercussions. A big posse of local and national media was stationed outside the court since morning.MLA Sunil Kedar, prime accused in the case, arrived by 11.15 am. He was accompanied by Congress leaders and workers. The MLA appeared sombre when the judge started reading the sentence. At 11.30am, after pronouncing the six accused including Kedar as guilty for various offences, the judge adjourned the hearing till 4pm for declaring the quantum of sentence. Till then, she asked all the accused to remain inside the courtroom. From 3.30pm, visitors started crowding the courtroom, and by 4pm every corner was occupied. Despite strict police bandobast and restricted entry, there was no space to even stand. Even the corridor and staircases were packed with the curious onlookers.The crowd, comprising mostly lawyers, was getting anxious when the judge entered the courtroom at about 5.15pm. The tension on faces of all the accused, most of them now senior citizens, was palpable.With her view obstructed by the crowd, the judge asked the accused, who were sitting on chairs, to stand in front to hear the sentence. The court officers had to warn people te remain silent while the verdict was being pronounced.Disappointment writ large on the faces of the accused who were held guilty. Kedar was seen discussing the next course of action with his lawyers and other party leaders, including MLC Abhijeet Wanjarri and general secretary Narendra Jichkar.By that time, a few of Kedar’s supporters and other visitors had gathered inside the court. Kedar and other accused had to wait till 7pm in the courtroom till the judgment copy was released.