The Hindu : Kerala News : Sex scandal: court to examine witnesses

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 09, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Sex scandal: court to examine witnesses

By Our Staff Reporter

KOZHIKODE, DEC. 8. Taking cognizance of a complaint that the Industries Minister, P. K. Kunhalikutty, be named an accused in the Kozhikode ice-cream parlour sex scandal case, the Kozhikode First Class Judicial Magistrate's Court (IV) today issued orders to directly collect evidence of witnesses including Rejina, the key witness and victim in the sex racket case.

Orders issued

The Magistrate, P. Sasidharan, issued the orders under Section 202 of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr.PC) on the basis of the complaint filed by a social activist, P. J. Sebastian, last week. The petition was moved through the advocate, M. S. Saji.

Apart from Rejina, his brother Ayub, the Assistant Commissioner of Police, A. V. George, the CPI leader, Meenakshi Thampan, the former chairperson of the State Women's Commission, Sugatha Kumari, the Asianet Kozhikode correspondent, V. M. Deepa and the cameraman, Suresh S. Nair, the Indiavision correspondent, M. P. Basheer, the Anweshi Women's Counselling Centre president, K. Ajitha and the Asianet managing director, K. P. Mohanan, will be examined by the court.

The Magistrate also issued orders that Mr. Mohanan and Basheer produce the cassettes containing the statement of Rejina and appear before the court on December 27.

However, the court dismissed the plea of the advocate that the police be entrusted with the task of investigating the complaint. This was because the complainant had mentioned that the police conducted the inquiry in a partial manner, the court observed.

The complainant in his petition had stated that Rejina had disclosed before the media on October 28 that the Industries Minister, P. K. Kunhalikutty, had sexually exploited her thrice at Kozhikode, Shoranur and Thiruvananthapuram when she was 16 years old.

It was also alleged that Mr. Kunhalikutty had used his political influence and money power to destroy evidence against him and that the police had failed to array him as an accused in the case.

On December 4, the court had refused to entertain the plea of Rejina to record her statement stating that it had no locus standi at that time.

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