The Kerala High Court on Friday asked the State government to respond to a petition seeking a CBI probe into the murder of city-based liquor baron V.A. Mohanan alias Mithila Mohan.
Justice T .R Ramachandran Nair issued the directive when a writ petition filed by Mohan’s son M. Mahesh, seeking a CBI inquiry into the case, came up for hearing on Friday.
Mohan was killed at his residence in Palarivattom by unidentified persons on April 6, 2006, when a One-Day International cricket match was on at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in the city.
According to the petitioner, his father was murdered by a professional killer. Though there were indications of the involvement of several influential persons in the city, the police had not done anything, the petitioner has said.
He said a thorough investigation into the activities of Mohan’s business rivals would bring out the truth.
The case was handed over to the Crime Branch on June 17, 2006. The Crime Branch had suspected business rivalry to be the motive behind the murder and confirmed that the deceased was shot by a 0.32 revolver.
According to the petitioner, his mother and sisters-in-law were present, along with his father, in the house at the time of the incident. Late in the evening on April 6, 2006, his sister-in-law, Uma, heard someone calling out his father’s name and knocking on the door.
When his father opened the door, he was shot on the chest and abdomen by unidentified persons. Mr. Mahesh was informed immediately afterwards, and he rushed home. After reaching home, the petitioner, along with a neighbour, took his father to the hospital.
The local police had questioned friends and relatives of the deceased and found that a number of people harboured animosity towards Mohan.
When the petitioner was convinced of the inability of the CB-CID to proceed with the investigation, he approached the High Court which ordered the State to constitute a special wing to probe the case if necessary and adopt scientific methods permitted by law.
The investigation was directed to be supervised by an officer above the rank of Superintendent of Police.
