Muskan-Rithik case: Accused lawyer quits

COIMBATORE :In yet another twist in the trial of the Muskan-Rithik siblings murder case, the accused Manoharan’s counsel, who was appointed barely a month ago by the Legal Aid Cell, has withdrawn from the case.On Tuesday, advocate S Rajendran returned all the documents to the District Legal Services Authority with a written request to relieve him from the case.The Legal Aid Cell has now appointed advocate M Kalai Selvan as the new counsel for Manoharan.Only two days ago, Rajendran’s petition seeking a fresh trial in the case was turned down by the court. The trial was in its final stages as only a couple of witnesses were left to be cross-examined.When contacted, Rajendran said he had taken the decision out of “personal inconveniences”.Rajendran was appointed as Manoharan’s counsel last month after the accused alleged that his previous counsel was siding with the prosecution.Manoharan is one of the two accused in the chilling murder of siblings, R Muskan Jain (10) and R Rithik Jain (8), which shocked the nation in October 2010. The prime accused Mohana Krishnan, along with whom Manoharan had allegedly kidnapped and murdered the children, was subsequently killed by the police when he allegedly attempted to escape from their custody. Manoharan, who had been under judicial custody for the past year and a half was facing the trial.Soon after the incident, the lawyers in the city had resolved not to appear on behalf of the two accused in the case due to the gravity of the crime.