THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Forensic experts are warning of the dangerous consequences of a documentary into the infamous Koodathayi serial killings that is airing on an OTT platform even before verdicts into the multiple linked cases are yet to be pronounced.
Dr Krishnan Balendran, additional professor, department of Forensic Medicine, Alappuzha Medical College Hospital, said that ‘Curry and Cyanide - The Jolly Joseph Case’ is not a cinematic adaptation. “By featuring key witnesses and investigating officials the one-and-a-half-hour-long film has set a wrong precedent,” he told TNIE.
The sleepy town of Koodathayi, in Kozhikode, hit the headlines in 2019 following the arrest of Jolly Joseph. She allegedly killed six of her relatives, including a two-year-old baby girl, over 14 years.
Dr Krishnan first took to social media, saying he found it strange that the documentary was airing when the trial was ongoing at the special additional sessions court (Marad) in Kozhikode. “My primary concern is that all the witnesses who are supposed to depose before the court are featured in the documentary, including the primary complainant, Renji Thomas, sister-in-law of Jolly,” he said.
“Investigating officers, K G Simon, the police officer who probed the case, and Dr V V Pillay, head of forensic medicine & toxicology, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi, appear in the documentary. This is the first time I have seen investigating officials who are yet to depose before court talk in the documentary about the case,” said Dr Krishnan. He added that only the death of Roy Thomas, Jolly’s husband, has been found to have been caused by cyanide poisoning. “In the remaining cases, there is no certified cause of death as the exhumation didn’t reveal cyanide poisoning,” Dr Krishnan added.
Dr Liza John, professor and head of forensic medicine, at Kottayam Medical College Hospital, echoed the sentiment. “The forensic experts of Kozhikode MCH, who undertook the forensic investigation, are yet to appear for trial,” she said.
“The documentary is ill-timed as it is bound to critically affect the case. It’s unfair. The protocol is that the investigating team should not reveal anything before the court verdict,” said Dr Liza.
And it’s not only forensic experts who are peeved with the makers of the documentary. “I am very upset. Despite associating with the documentary from the initial phase itself, I was sidelined and did not have any control. It’s only after the documentary aired that I realized the seriousness of the issue,” a key person who worked on the documentary told TNIE.
The film, which premiered last Friday on a leading OTT platform, is directed by Christo Tomy, a two-time national award-winning writer and director. Christo told TNIE that he was not aware of the controversy. However, the director, who is currently on holiday abroad, did not react to allegations raised by forensic experts.
Despite repeated efforts, the producer, Chandni Dabas, business head, of originals & special projects, India Today group, did not respond to the queries sent by TNIE, citing a busy schedule.