Chandigarh, July 23 -- A special CBI court has directed that suspended Punjab Police DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar and his alleged aide, Kirshanu Sharda, be physically produced before it on July 23, when the prosecution begins leading evidence in the corruption case in which the two are facing trial.

The order came on applications moved by the accused, who sought physical production before the court to enable effective consultation with their lawyers during the examination and cross-examination of prosecution witnesses. They submitted that meetings inside Model Jail, Chandigarh, take place through an intercom separated by a glass partition, depriving them of privacy, and that restrictions on carrying case documents into the jail hamper pre...