Solar scam accused Biju Radhakrishnan and Saritha S. Nair were produced before the Kottarakara Judicial First Class Magistrate Court on Tuesday morning in connection with a private complaint pertaining to a cheating case.
The case was lodged by a woman, Jemenisha Beevi of Kottarakara, with the police in 2005, and pertains to a bogus cheque for Rs.3.80 lakh allegedly signed by Saritha and given to Jemenisha Beevi by Biju as repayment of a loan taken by him.
After Biju and Saritha were produced before him at 11 a.m., magistrate D. Sreekumar ordered both to be remanded, and posted the case for August 13, the same day to which the magistrate had posted a murder case against Biju (pertaining to allegedly murdering his wife Reshmi in February 2006) when he was produced before the court on that charge on June 18.
While Biju was brought to the court from the Pathanamthitta jail, Saritha was brought from the Attakulangara jail in Thiruvananthapuram. They were remanded and sent back to the same jails by the Kottarakara court.
When produced before the magistrate, both Biju and Saritha said they wanted make a submission before the court.
Mr. Sreekumar asked Biju to make his submission in writing. In his three-page submission, Biju said that since he had reasons to fear for his life at the Thiruvananthapuram jail where he was lodged earlier, he should be lodged either at the Pathanamthitta jail or the Kottarakara jail only.
The magistrate said his plea would be examined, and directed Assistant Public Prosecutor Roy Titus to submit a report on Thursday as to whether there was any need to shift Biju from the Pathanamthitta jail to any other jail.
Another submission by Biju that he be permitted to talk to the media was rejected by the court. He also submitted before the court that he had not murdered his wife, and that he had been falsely implicated in that case by the Crime Branch (CID). He said he had not confessed before any investigating officer to murdering Reshmi, and the same was created by the media. He also appealed to the court to allow him to take his clothes that were lying in the Kottarakara jail where he was remanded in connection with the murder case after his arrest from Coimbatore.
Mr. Sreekumar permitted Saritha to make the submission on condition that it pertained to the case for which she had been produced. She told the court that she had not given any cheque to Jemenisha Beevi, and her signature on the cheque in question was forged. She said a bogus case was charged against her.
