KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation on a petition challenging the order of the CBI Special Court, Thiruvananthapuram, acquitting Crime Branch SP N Abdul Rasheed, fifth accused in the case of a murder attempt on journalist VB Unnithan in Kollam.
The court issued the notice on the petition filed by Unnithan seeking to quash the CBI court’s order.
The CBI investigation revealed that an armed gang travelling on motorcycles had ambushed Unnithan, who was then Mathrubhumi’s Kollam reporter, on his way home on the night of April 16, 2011. The gang attacked Unnithan with iron rods resulting in multiple fractures in his legs, hands and ribs.
CBI found that Unnithan’s newspaper reports regarding a liqour party allegedly organised by police officers was the provocation for the attack. The news reports affected the police officers and their promotion was delayed. They hired the other accused to harm Unnithan.
The CBI court had discharged Rasheed from the case observing that there were no materials to proceed against him. T A Unnikrishnan, counsel for the petitioner, submitted that the order of the CBI court was illegal. The CBI court ought to have noticed that there were materials other than the statement of approver against Rasheed.