Magistrate Anil Kumar Ujoodha considers “that there is sufficient evidence to put the accused to trial as regards counts 1 and 3.” He has therefore committed Dev Hurnam to stand trial before the Assizes Court for “giving instructions to Antoine Chetty to murder chief inspector Ghoora and to maim Senior Puisne Judge Sik Yuen”.

These accusations were brought to the public’s attention following Antoine Chetty’s arrest as the latter made several revelations on his former notary boss, Vinay Deelchand. Besides his allegations concerning these two counts, Chetty had also said that Dev Hurnam had asked him to murder Inspector Robinson Lisette. The magistrate, however, considered there was no prima facie evidence in that third case. Dev Hurnam says he doesn’t understand how there could be enough evidence in two counts and not in the third one. For him, this is proof of a plot to frame him.

<B>Still on bail</B>

After Chetty’s allegations, the lawyer MP was arrested and jailed until the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, to which he had appealed, stated that he could be released on bail. The magistrate said, in his judgment, that the Privy Council’s order was quite ambiguous. It states “… pending the hearing of the said appeal and the petitioner’s trial in Mauritius any early determination of the criminal charges against him or further order of their Lordships… order that the petitioner be admitted to bail…”

Magistrate Ujoodha is of the opinion that “it is not clear whether the conditions in the order are alternatives or not.” He adds, “I can only interpret that order in a sense which is more favourable to the accused (...) and I therefore commit the accused to stand trial before the Supreme Court for counts 1 and 3 whilst he remains on bail.”

Dev Hurnam, who defended himself during the preliminary enquiry, has expressed his utter disappointment at the verdict. After he had seen the prime minister and leader of the Mauritian Militant Movement, Paul Bérenger, after the judgment, the latter said he was sad that Hurnam could not stand as the ruling alliance’s candidate to challenge the opposition leader, Navin Ramgoolam, in the Pamplemousses-Triolet constituency.

The PM also seized the opportunity to castigate the opposition leader who had said he feared “political pressure on the judiciary” to clear Dev Hurnam. “This judgment has proved that the government has never put any pressure on the judiciary in Hurnam’s case,” he said while introducing Leela Devi Allear, who will replace Hurnam, thus becoming the tenth woman candidate on the MSM-MMM list.

However, the lawyer had already registered to stand as an independent candidate in the same constituency by midday yesterday.