Thaindian News

Kochi, Jan 21 (IANS) A division bench of the Kerala High Court Thursday gave the nod to a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the murder of Muthoot scion Paul M. George.
The order was given by Chief Justice S.R. Bannurmath on a plea by M.G. George Muthoot, father of George, who first approached the court Oct 30 last year.

The CBI has been asked to complete the probe in six months’ time.

Kerala Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan Thursday said: “The government will cooperate with any agency in the probe.”

George, 32, was killed under mysterious circumstances near Alappuzha Aug 21 last year while travelling in a car with Om Prakash and Rajesh, two men who face several criminal cases in the state.

The father of the deceased in his petition, seeking the CBI probe, had highlighted 18 points listing the manner in which the probe by the Kerala Police is going on.

He claimed that the present investigation is going ahead based on a “pre-written” script by the police and had pointed out that the ‘real’ culprit’s political links and his relations with people outside the state have to be examined in detail.

He also said that the testimony of Manu, a friend of George who was in the car at the time of the murder and that of George’s driver is not convincing and hence only a CBI probe would bring out the truth.

The court Thursday came down heavily upon Inspector General of Police Vinson M. Paul for the manner in which he conducted a press conference a few days after the murder. The court pointed out that the press conference was needless and the probe done by the police was incomplete.

The police have arrested 19 people in the murder, including Prakash and Rajesh.

The mother of the first accused K. Satish, who the police say was hired for killing George, had earlier approached the court for a CBI probe. The court had then turned it down saying that an investigation was on and she could come back with the same demand at a later date.

Satish’s mother had pleaded that her son was framed in the case and the recovery from Satish’s home of the knife, which the police say was used to kill George, was stage-managed.

Eyebrows were also raised when a blacksmith in Alappuzha told TV channels that he was asked to make an ‘S’ shaped knife by a police officer. Paul had told reporters, three days after the murder, that an ‘S’-shaped knife was used by the killers.

The state Congress party, which has been asking for a CBI probe for long, has alleged that the probe by the Kerala was not fair and was meant to hide the truth.