india

Updated: Nov 01, 2019 22:01 IST

The Kerala High Court on Friday rejected a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the rape and alleged suicide of two minor girls in Palakkad two years ago after a local court had acquitted all accused in the case last week.

The acquittal of the four accused by the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) court had triggered a statewide protest.

Hearing the PIL filed by an activist George Vattakulam, the high court told the petitioner that the aggrieved can file an appeal against the verdict in a higher court and the counsel for the state also said the government was planning an appeal. The lawyer appearing for the CBI also said a re-investigation was possible if the earlier verdict was cancelled.

The court said a CBI probe cannot be considered at this point. It also observed that petition was based on media reports and that petitioner Vattakulam was not visible when the trial was on in the lower court. The court went on to reject his PIL saying the aggrieved and the government have enough provisions to file an appeal.

The POCSO court had acquitted all accused charged with sexual assault and abetment to suicide on account of reported shoddy investigation and lackadaisical approach of the prosecution. Though the government announced it would appeal, the girls’ parents have sought an independent inquiry by a central agency saying they have no faith in the state police.

Two siblings aged between 11 and 8 had allegedly committed suicide within two months in 2017 after they were allegedly raped by a relative and his friends. After two-year trial the POCSO court acquitted all accused last week saying the prosecution failed to prove their involvement. The court also pulled up the investigating team saying it did not present enough scientific evidence in the case.

The parents of the two girls had also met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday and sought an independent probe by a central agency. They also pointed out that grave lapses in police probe and interference at local political levels were the main reasons for the acquittal of the accused. The mother reiterated that though she gave a statement saying both died under mysterious circumstances, the FIR mentioned that she also suspected suicide.