Kochi: The Kerala Government has filed a petition before the high court challenging a trial court order rejecting the plea for forensic examination of the memory card which contains crucial evidence related to the 2017 actress assault case.
The petition alleged that the trial court order amounted to interference in the investigations.
The forensic examination was sought to confirm the illegal access of the memory card as suggested by the change in the hash value. The digital evidence is reportedly the video recording of the crime.
The government pointed out in its petition that the memory card and the files contained in it could have been opened several times. Moreover, a detailed forensic examination can only find out when it was opened the last time.
Though the changes made in the hash value were reported to the trial court on January 29, 2020, the same was not intimated to the prosecution till February 2022. The examination of the memory card is essential for carrying out further investigations in the case based on the disclosures made by director Balachandrakumar.
HC rejects petition challenging Sreejith's removal
The high court has made it clear that it cannot intervene in the petition filed against the removal of Crime Branch Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) S Sreejith from the supervisory responsibilities of the further investigations into the case.
The court clarified that the subject pertained to service matters and it cannot be questioned through a Public Interest Litigation.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly disposed of the petition filed by director and president of Kerala State Board of International Human Rights Council Baiju Kottarakkara.
The petition alleged that transfer of an officer entrusted with the responsibility of monitoring a crucial case from his existing post was a violation of rules.
The government informed the court that the responsibility of monitoring the Special Investigation Team probing the case was entrusted with the new Crime Branch chief Shaikh Darvesh Sahib.
