VIJAYAWADA: The Fourth Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) court once again postponed its judgement to June 22 on the petition filed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), seeking permission to conduct narcoalnalysis test on the seven suspects in the sensational rape and murder case of B Pharmacy student Ayesha Meera.
On June 5, assistant public prosecutor (APP) K Durga Devi and the lawyers, who were appointed by the SIT to argue the case, explained to the judge the need for a narco test on the suspects and requested her to give permission for the same to bring out the truth in the sensational case.
“The incident happened 10 years ago and there is no physical evidence available with the police. SIT officials are dependent on scientific evidence. If narcoanalysis is conducted on the suspected, investigation agency could get crucial information and crack the mystery behind the murder of Ayesha,” said P Srinivas, one of the lawyers for the SIT.
However, after hearing the versions of both sides (suspects and public prosecutors), the magistrate adjourned the case to June 15. On Friday, the same situation prevailed with the judge adjourning the case to June 22.
The seven suspects, Koneru Satish Babu, Abburi Ganesh, Chintha Pawan Kumar, hostel warden Inampudi Padma and her husband Sivaramakrishna, Ayesha’s roommates K Kavitha and Sowmya filed counter petitions against narcoanalysis test and expressed their apprehensions about such a test. Three of the 7 suspects -- Padma and her husband Sivaramakrishna, and Kavitha expressed their willingness to face the test, but did not submit an affidavits to the court in this regard.
“When the judge asked them to file affidavits giving their consent to undergo narcoanalysis, they refused and maintained that the test could have side-effects,” said one of the lawyers.
Meanwhile, Venkata Sharma, lawyer of one of the suspects Chintha Pawan Kumar, alleged earlier that the SIT petition was nothing but a violation of the Supreme Court order on conducting narco tests.
“Without his/her consent, neither court nor SIT has right to perform narcoanalysis test. They should obey the Supreme Court guidelines,” he said. As the future of case investigation depends on court stand on narco test, SIT officials are anxious about the outcome of their petition on June 22 and looking for alternative plans to finish the case investigation within the time stipulated by the High Court.