Unrest means no progress in Groves trial
NO PROGRESS has been made in the trial into the killing of Sarah Groves over the last three months, due to unrest in Kashmir.
The 24-year-old Guernsey woman was found dead on a houseboat in Kashmir in 2013. Dutchman Richard de Wit is on trial for her murder, but denies the charge.
However the case has been bogged down by repeated delays. That includes the latest problems in the region, after India dissolved the previous special relationship with Jammu and Kashmir. They are set to become a union state at the end of this month.
This has caused unrest and there has been a lockdown on communications in the region.
Sarah's father Vic Groves said one of their big concerns was that Indian law would replace Kashmiri law, which might cause issues with the ongoing trial.
Over the last 11 weeks the Groves family have struggled to communicate people in the area.
'We have not been able to hold a single phone call with our legal representative and the only information we have received has come from him via a ‘one-way’ email from the High Court in Srinagar, where a secure internet connection has remained open,' Mr Groves said.
'We have been unable to respond to those emails. Our initial concerns were that, after six and a half years, the trial would not be able to continue under Kashmiri Law, which was about to be replaced by Indian Law. From the limited feedback received, it is encouraging to learn that attempts have been made to continue the trial in its current form. Hopefully this will continue to be the case.'
Six hearings have been scheduled since early August, with a seventh scheduled for this week. None of the six hearings have successfully convened due to the inability to convey Mr de Wit to court and the inability of witnesses to reach court due to the military restrictions in place.
Mr Groves said that at the hearing on 16 October, the judge expressed concern about the lack of priority being given to the transportation of under-trial prisoners from jail to court.
'He ordered the Superintendent of the Central Jail in Srinagar to explain why they were not being brought to court, which he pointed out was in direct contravention of a legal procedure agreed between all the parties involved,' Mr Groves said.
'There is no indication about when communications will return to normal and it may be some days before we learn the outcome of Wednesday’s hearing.'
