THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CBI court here will pronounce the verdict in the Kiliroor sex scandal case on February 6. The hearing in the case came to an end on Monday.
The prosecution has charged the six of the accused - Praveen, Lata Nair, Kochumon, Manoj, Prasanth and Soman - with soliciting Shari, a minor, by offering her a role in tele-serials, but with the motive of abusing her sexually. Shari died on November 13, 2004 at a private hospital in Kottayam after giving birth to a girl child.
The case was noted for the immense interest it generated among the public, mainly on account of the ‘VIP factor’ which Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan had been desperately trying to bring in, which eventually fell flat.
The court observed that the deposition by Omanakkutty, the first accused- turned-approver, as vital, as the case would have been weaker if it had to be relied only on the circumstantial evidence.
The court, however, expressed doubt over its credibility. The trial which started on October 24, 2011 presented 67 witnesses, including Ernakulam range IG R Sreelekha and the then Kottayam First Class Judicial Magistrate K P Prasannakumari, who had recorded statements of the victim. The ‘VIP episode’ got fizzled out during the trial as Dr Shankaran, who treated Shari at the private hospital, denied that he never told any such thing to Achuthanandan.
He clarified that Shari’s condition worsened after many VIPs visited her during the treatment and did not point out anyone in particular.
Dr A P Kuruvila, another doctor who had treated Shari, deposed that she had died as the result of a lapse in the laparoscopy. Later, the investigators also denied the involvement of any VIP. Praveen, the second accused, in a written statement submitted to the court that no one, except him, had any sexual contact with Shari and he was the father of her child which was confirmed earlier in a DNA test while the four accused - Praveen, Manoj, Kochumon and Prasanth - denied the rape charge against them. The expected judgment on February 6 will be the first by the CBI Court here after it started functioning in September, 2011.