The Kerala High Court on Wednesday directed the Kollam Sessions Court to complete in five months the trial of the case relating to the murder of Reshmi, ‘wife’ of Biju Radhakrishnan, an accused in solar scam cases.
Justice S.S. Satheesachandran issued the directive while rejecting a bail application filed by Biju Radhakrishnan, an accused in the February 2006 murder case.
The court said that there were reasons to suspect the complicity of the petitioner in the untimely death of his wife.
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Opposing the bail plea, the public prosecutor contended that the material collected by the Crime Branch had exposed the culpability of the petitioner in the murder. The case was that Biju had forced his wife to drink poisoned liquor.
The prosecutor pointed out that Reshmi’s elder son, now 11, who had witnessed the alleged murder of his mother had deposed against Biju.
The father of the victim, who got himself impleaded in the case, submitted that if the accused was released on bail at this stage, there would be a threat to the life of the elder son.
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The court observed that the material collected by the investigation agency showed that the petitioner, along with Saritha S. Nair and two of his employees, was confined by some persons for cheating them. They were released only after Reshmi was brought to the place from her house and made to sign some documents, including cheques. The persons who held them captive then noticed that Biju’s marriage with Reshmi was not legal and insisted on arranging a customary marriage to give authenticity to the documents signed by Reshmi. The allegation was that the unnatural death took place on the day fixed for the marriage.
The court observed that Reshmi had filed a complaint against Biju before the police about two weeks prior to her untimely death.