The District and Sessions Court at Thalassery partially allowed the prayer of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team investigating the murder of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary E. Manoj to grant it the custody of Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] district secretary P. Jayarajan for custodial interrogation.
Principal Sessions Judge V.G. Anilkumar issued an order on the CBI team’s plea for the custody of Jayarajan partially allowing the investigating officers to question him in connection with the murder case in which he is one of the accused charged with conspiracy.
While disallowing the CBI’s plea for getting Jayarajan’s police custody for questioning, the court allowed the CBI to interrogate him from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for three days beginning on March 9 either at the Central Prison or in hospital where he has been admitted.
Mr. Jayarajan has been in judicial custody since he surrendered on February 12. He is one of the accused in the murder case.
Hospitalised when he was served a notice in January, he was sent first to the Pariyaram Medical College (PMCH) after his judicial remand and then shifted to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital (KMCH). While the CBI wanted his custody for interrogation in connection with the case, his counsel opposed it on the ground that he was having serious health problems.
The court directed the jail authorities that arrangements be made to ensure an exclusive place without outside interference for questioning Jayarajan.
The court's order on Tuesday followed the report of the KMCH authorities that he was not having any serious health issues.
The report was submitted by the Kannur Central Jail authorities.
Earlier, doctors of the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Science and Technology, who had examined him, also sent a report that the CPI(M) leader was not suffering from any serious health problems.
The doctors who had examined him in their reports said that he just needed medical attention as he was undergoing treatment for cardiac ailment.
For custodial interrogation
When contacted, CBI sources said the agency was planning to seek a review of the order as the team wanted police custody of Jayarajan. What the court granted now was just a permission to interrogate him, not the formal police custody, they said adding that the agency wanted custodial interrogation.
Meanwhile, the jail authorities said they had decided to take Mr. Jayarajan back to the prison on March 9 for the CBI team to question him as directed by the court.
When contacted, Jail Superintendent Ashokan Arippa said the decision to bring him back to the jail was taken in view of the medical reports that his health condition was stable.
He said that arrangements were being made to get Jayarajan discharged from the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital on Wednesday morning and take him back to the jail.
CBI sources said the investigating officers wanted to interrogate Jayarajan in the hospital itself from Wednesday morning.
If Jayarajan is shifted to the jail on Wednesday, the officers would get only a few hours for questioning him because the court allowed the team to interrogate him from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
