The defense counsel for Shoko Asahara, founder of Aum Shinrikyo, said Mar. 13 it would boycott a court session scheduled for Mar. 14 after disagreeing with the court on how the guru's murder trial should proceed.
The next session, the guru's 30th, thus appears destined to forgo substantial examination for the first time since Asahara's trial started last April. The defense team said it still plans to attend two sessions scheduled for March 27 and 28, saying three sessions a month is their acceptable maximum.
The lawyers have been insisting the current pace of the hearings -- four per month -- is far beyond their capacity. The 12 lawyers in the team requested last week that they be relieved of their court-appointed duties, but the court rejected the request, prompting the team to boycott. Court-appointed lawyers are not legally allowed to resign on their own.