Two forensic chemical examiners told the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Court here that they had found no presence of semen in the vaginal swabs taken from Sister Abhaya’s body after she was found dead in a well of the St. Pious X convent in Kottayam on March 27, 1992.
Former Chief Chemical Examiner R. Geetha and scientific officer M. Chitra had conduced three tests to detect the presence of semen.
The first two preliminary tests conudcted indicated the presence of chemicals found in semen and also other body fluids.
However, the final and confirmatory test using a chromatography device and microscope ruled out the presence of spermatozoa, thereby the negating the possibility that the nun had been sexually assaulted before her death.
Findings contradicted
In 2007, a media report contradicted the laboratory’s findings stating that its report had been “corrected” to show there was no presence of semen in the samples it analysed.
Consequently, Abhaya Case Action Council president moved the court against the examiners, accusing them of erasing scientific evidence to save the accused.
Arrest
The court ordered an investigation, which resulted in the arrest and remand of Ms. Geetha and Chitra.
Subsequently, the court found they had committed no offence.
The examiners had made some corrections in the workbook, which is not a statutory document or a final report.
The court said that it was a legal procedure to correct, erase, score off initial findings in the workbook, as chemical test results could vary due to myriad scientific reasons.
The trial in the case continues.
