COIMBATORE: A court in Coimbatore on Monday directed the State government to pay a total of Rs 56,000 as compensation towards witness expenses in ten cases after government prosecutors failed to appear, resulting in adjournments of the proceedings.

V Sivakumar, judge of the 5th Additional District Court, ordered that the amount be paid through the Coimbatore District Collector within a week. The directions come amid a disruption in trials following the expiry of the tenure of government advocates in Coimbatore on June 30.

Although 24 advocates have been appointed, they are yet to assume charge, affecting the conduct of prosecutions. In a murder case in Karumathampatti, the accused was produced through video conferencing, while a doctor came all the way from Kerala to depose as a prosecution witness. However, in the absence of the public prosecutor, the witness's examination could not proceed.

Observing that adjournment was necessitated solely due to the prosecution's failure to appear, the judge directed the state, through the District Collector, to deposit Rs 10,000 in the court within a week towards the witness's travel and other expenses. The case was adjourned to July 13.

Similar orders were passed for award of compensation to witnesses in nine other cases heard on the same day.