MUMBAI, July 31 -- It will be three years today since RPF constable Chetan Singh Choudhary shot dead his senior officer and three identifiably Muslim passengers on board the Jaipur Mumbai Superfast Express. Currently lodged in Thane Central Prison, Chaudhary is facing charges of murder and inciting communal enmity. However, his trial, which began in the Dindoshi Sessions Court in November 2024, has been at a standstill for the last four months for lack of a judge in courtroom number 11. The last hearing took place on March 25; the judge hearing the matter was transferred on that very evening, and no one else has taken his place. This isn't the first such transfer; the trial remained suspended between December 2025 and February 2026 for the same reason. Another factor delaying the trial is the lack of a special public prosecutor (PP). Additional PP Sudhir Sapkale, who has been handling the case from the start, was assigned to another court in November last year, leaving him little time to attend to this trial. There have been occasions when witnesses have come to court but not been examined because the PP was not available. The suspension of the trial has compounded the anxiety among family members of victims and eyewitnesses who have been waiting for justice and closure. Ever since the shooting claimed the life of his employee, 75-year-old shopkeeper Jaffar Khan has broken down daily in front of his 60-year-old brother, Ismail Khan. "He repeatedly asks 'Why did this happen? Where has humanity gone?'," said Ismail. Jaffar Khan, who was returning from a pilgrimage with his family in coach number B5, was woken up from his sleep suddenly hearing gunshots. He saw his employee Saifuddin being dragged by a uniformed Chetan Chaudhary at gun point, who executed the father of three in the pantry car. That day is permanently stamped on Jaffar's mind. "Every minute is clear like the day," said Jaffar, who divides his time between Hyderabad and Mumbai. "My brother is inconsolable. He recalls the incident every day and weeps," said Ismail. Since the incident, Jaffar Khan has not travelled by train, choosing air travel instead, said Ismail. "His first train trip since the incident was a few days ago, when he travelled to Hyderabad for medical treatment. Now we are praying he returns safely," he said. Like Jaffar, other passengers on board, who witnessed the incident, are also scarred for life. Many of them avoided train journeys for months; some were unable to place their trust in the police again; and yet others failed to overcome the guilt of having seen their loved ones die before their own eyes. Ashok Singh, 39, a resident of Kandivali, was quietly seated in coach number B/02, when a fellow passenger informed him about the shoot-out. Still shaken up, he continues to keep track of the trial. "Even after three years, they are debating whether he (Chaudhary) was mentally fit or ill. What is the use of such lengthy trials when the outcome is insignificant to the victims," he said. Ali Asgar, brother of deceased Kadar Bhanpurwala, said that the family simply wants to move on, which is aborted due to a suspended trial. "Kadar's son Husaain has already left for Dubai while his wife is not in a state to speak about the incident due to health reasons," said Asgar, a resident of Nalasopara, who was the first person to be contacted by the Borivali GRP officers to inform him about his brother's killing. Advocate Karim Pathan of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights, representing the families of the victims, called this delay a "grave failure of the justice delivery system". "The victims' families have waited three years for the trial to proceed meaningfully. Justice delayed in a case of this magnitude, where the victims were targeted and a communal motive was evident from the accused's conduct, sends a deeply troubling message - that even the most serious crimes can languish indefinitely due to administrative apathy," said Pathan. The judicial vacancy should be urgently filled and a special PP appointed, he said, to demonstrate that "the rule of law is not held hostage to vacant chairs". Eighteen witnesses have testified so far, which include railway employees and passengers. Chaudhary, who used to be present earlier via video conferencing, has been attending court regularly in the last few hearings, after his lawyer filed a second bail application pleading temporary insanity. The first bail application, citing similar grounds, had been rejected in December 2023. His lawyer filed a second one last November after Chaudhary was admitted to the Thane Mental Hospital for five months last year, having been found displaying odd behaviour in the Akola Central Jail where he was then lodged. The trial could not proceed while he was in hospital. His discharge report of June 2025 found him "cooperative and communicative", but another medical report filed in court in January this year found his parameters normal....