HC raps CBI in custodial death case

The Kerala High Court today rapped CBI and Kerala police investigating two cases, including a custodial death, on the manner in which the probes were being carried out, saying it appeared to help senior IPS officers suspected to be involved in the offence.
It appears that the attempt of investigating officers was to help senior IPS officers suspected to be involved in the Sampath custodial death case, Justice P Bhavadasan said.
After perusing the case diary in the case relating to the suicide of senior CBI officer P G Haridatt, who investigated the custodial death of murder accused Sampath in 2010, he came down heavily on the crime branch investigation in the case.

The Judge also criticised the manner of investigation done in the Sampath case by CBI.
He made the remarks while granting anticipatory bail to two CBI officers Rajan and Unnikrishnan arraigned as accused in the case relating to the suicide of Haridatt.
The names of the two officers had been mentioned in the suicide note left by Haridatt who hanged himself in his house last year.

The court also mentioned the names of some CBI officers and expressed displeasure in the investigation of both the cases.
Sampath, a murder accused, was allegedly brutally torutured in police custody in Palakkad following which he died with allegations that two senior IPS officers ADGP Mohammed Yasin and DIG Vijay Sakre were behind it.

After Sampath's brother moved the high court alleging the probe was not properly conducted into his brother's death, the case was transferred to CBI which has chargesheeted four police personnel.
The Chief Judicial Magistrate Court here had on May 14 rejected the supplementary charge sheet filed by CBI excluding the names of the two IPS officers and directed the agency to conduct further investigation and submit a 'meaningful report'.