The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Probe into murder of Andi Thevar’s son almost over: CBI

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 11, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Probe into murder of Andi Thevar’s son almost over: CBI

Staff Reporter

MADURAI: The Central Bureau of Investigation has almost completed the investigation into the 10-year-old case of murder in which former MLA S. Andi Thevar was accused of killing his son.

Counsel for the CBI S. Rozario Sundar Raj said the charge sheet could be filed after subjecting A. Pannerselvam, another accused, to polygraph (lie detector) test and brain mapping examinations in Bangalore.

The submissions were made before Justice V. Periya Karuppiah at the Madras High Court Bench here on Thursday.

The judge dismissed a petition filed by the accused against the tests.

A. Sivaraman, son of one of the wives of Mr. Andi Thevar, went missing, under mysterious circumstances, in 1998. Initially the police investigated the case, and it was handed over to the Crime Branch-CID, which filed a charge sheet.

However, the High Court, in 2004, ordered a fresh investigation by the CBI. In his affidavit, Mr. Pannerselvam claimed that subjecting him to polygraph and brain mapping examinations might lead to anaphylactic shock—and eventually to death.

He said the results from the tests would not have any evidentiary value. His counsel cited a Supreme Court judgment in Ram Singh vs. Sonia case (2007) that polygraph evidencecould at best be used as an aid to investigation, and not as evidence.

On the other hand, CBI counsel contended that polygraph and brain mapping tests were similar to taking Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) or Computed Tomography (CT) scans, which are common means of diagnosis.

Mr. Justice Periya Karuppiah recorded the CBI’s submissions and directed the agency to conduct the tests without any detriment to the health of the petitioner.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu