Ramankary Judicial First Class Magistrate Subitha Chirakkal on Tuesday permitted the Special Investigation Team probing the Paul Muthoot George murder case to conduct narco-analysis and polygraph tests on Om Prakash and Rajesh, the 15th and 16th accused respectively in the case.
The magistrate allowed a two day-duration for the polygraph test, which would have to be conducted within the next 10 days, and an eight day-period for the narco-analysis test, which would have to be conducted within the next 30 days. The SIT, which moved a petition requesting permission for the tests on September 23 had stated in an affidavit submitted later that the polygraph test would be conducted at the Thiruvananthapuram Forensic Science Laboratory while the narco-analysis would be at the Ahmedabad Forensic Science Laboratory.
The tests were being conducted to assist in verifying whether Prakash and Rajesh were involved in any way in the murder or whether there was any conspiracy behind the killing.
Earlier on Tuesday, the court, pronouncing the judgement on a September 1 petition of the SIT requesting permission to question and collect blood samples of the accused in the case who were currently in judicial remand at the Viyyur Central Jail at Thrissur, granted permission. The questioning and blood sampling of the accused, excluding Prakash and Rajesh, could be carried out on Wednesday and Thursday in the presence of the Jail Superintendent.
The court, meanwhile, dismissed a petition filed by the Alappuzha-based advocate T.M. Subhash requesting that the magistrate directly monitor the investigation in the case since the probe was allegedly not moving in the right direction. Ms. Chirakkal, pointing out that there was no material to prove that the investigation was not moving in the right direction, said the investigation was still in progress and that as of now, there was no need for the court to interfere in it.
Ms. Chirakkal on Tuesday also extended the remand period of 12 of the accused, including first accused Jayachandran, second accused Sattar and 12th accused Kaari Satheesh, to October 19. The remand period of Rajesh and Prakash was earlier extended to October 16.
Hearing on a petition filed by first accused Jayachandran, requesting release of two of his vehicles, was posted to October 16. A Mahindra Scorpio and a Hyundai Santro car were seized by the police from Jayachandran after the murder and the vehicles have been in judicial custody ever since. Jayachandran also pleaded that since he was remanded, a relative of his be allowed to appear in the court instead of him.
