The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) will seek clarifications from the doctors who performed the postmortem examinations on the two minor sisters from Walayar who were sexually assaulted and found dead under mysterious circumstances in Kerala’s Palakkad district.
The NCSC Vice Chairman, L Murugan, spoke to media persons after a meeting with Principal Secretary A Jayathilak and Additional DGP Law and Order Sheikh Darwesh Saheb. The Commission said it was seeking clarification from the doctors to ensure that a watertight appeal goes to the court next. He also pointed out that the police had failed to properly investigate the sexual assault and deaths of the two minor girls, and that the absence of a strong case led to the acquittal of four of five accused persons.
The two minor girls aged 9 and 13 were found dead under mysterious circumstances in the shed next to their house in Attapallam, Walayar, in 2017. The postmortem reports of the two girls said that they were sexually assaulted.
However, the Assistant Surgeon of the Forensic Department, who conducted the postmortem examination on the 13-year-old’s body, had stated that the injuries noted in the anal canal of the girl could be due to penetration. However, she also gave an alternative opinion that it could be due to an infection in the region.
In the post-mortem report of the nine-year-old girl's, Dr PB Gujaral, the senior police surgeon, observed that her death was by suicide. However, factoring in the age and the height of the girl, he also said that it required an investigation to rule out homicidal hanging. However, due to lack of evidence by the public prosecutor and a weak case by the Kerala police, the judge ruled out homicide.
With the next hearing of appeals in the case scheduled for November 21, the Commission expects the Special Public Prosecutor to review the points of the case and present a strong case in the court. It is also preparing a chart of witnesses so that the family of the deceased minors can get justice. The commission would also closely monitor the case.
In October this year, the court acquitted all the accused men in the case, barring a juvenile, who was also charged with rape and abetment of suicide. The Palakkad POCSO court acquitted them citing lack of substantial scientific and circumstantial evidence that linked the accused to the murders and sexual assault.
The acquittals have led to massive protests in the state, with several political parties accused the police of intentionally botching up the case. The Kerala government has also said that it will move the high court for a retrial in the case.