The Kerala High Court, on Thursday, October 5, ordered the CBI to reopen the death case of violinist Balabhaskar and conduct a detailed probe to eliminate any conspiracy of the musician’s death being linked to gold smuggling. The court observed that the CBI did not probe the gold smuggling angle in the case. Setting aside the order of the Thiruvananthapuram Chief Judicial Magistrate Court which had accepted the report of CBI concluding the death as an “accident”, the High Court directed the CBI to complete the investigation within three months. Balabhaskar and his two-year-old daughter had died in an accident after their car crashed into a tree.
Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas who was hearing the revision petitions filed by his father KC Unni and sound recording artist Soby George said that the earlier investigation by the CBI was not “foolproof.” Soby had earlier told the CBI that he saw two suspicious looking men at the accident scene minutes after the mishap.
“The officers are directed to investigate the said crime further especially to identify whether there was any conspiracy or connection between the activities of gold smuggling and the accident… and the consequent death of Balabhaskar,” the court said according to LiveLaw.
The CBI had earlier booked the driver of the car Arjun and said that there was no other proof indicating that it was a conspiracy. According to a LiveLaw report, the revision petitions stated that the CBI did not investigate the allegations of gold smuggling.
After the death of Balabhaskar, his former associates Prakasan Thampi and Vishnu were caught with smuggled gold at Thiruvananthapuram airport. Balabhaskar’s father told TNM that Balabhaskar refused to entertain the two men after learning about their gold smuggling dealings, after which the car crash took place. He also requested the CBI to probe into this aspect.
On September 25, 2018, the car in which Balabhaskar and his family were travelling crashed into a tree in Pallipuram in Thiruvananthapuram. While their two-year-old daughter Tejasvini Bala died on the spot, Balabhaskar died on October 2, 2018 after spending close to a week in a hospital. Lakshmi and the driver Arjun, who were also admitted with injuries, survived the accident. The CBI took over the case in July, 2020.
Read: Twists and turns in violinist Balabhaskar death case: What we know so far