HYDERABAD: In an important development, the metropolitan sessions judge (MSJ) on Wednesday stayed until Friday all further proceedings relating to the trial of the accused in the multi-crore Satyam accounting fraud case.

This is the first time that the trial, going on in the court of the chief metropolitan magistrate, has been halted.

The stay order was passed on a criminal revision petition filed by Ch Srisailam, one of the accused in the Satyam case. Earlier, in a lower court, he objected to the examination of the accused ahead of arguments on the chargesheet. He contended that it was not only prejudicial to his legitimate rights but might also cause an irreparable damage to his defence. The court, however, rejected his plea forcing him to challenge the same in the MSJ court.

Meanwhile, hearing on the bail plea of main accused, Ramalinga Raju, has been deferred to August 5 at the request of the CBI. In his petition, the former chairman of Satyam Computers termed all allegations of accounting fraud against him as baseless and claimed that no liability can be thrust upon a single individual. He also pointed out that all the other accused in the case had been granted bail and urged the court to grant him bail as well.

source:Expressbuzz