Kochi: The statements of Kavya Madhavan's mother Shyamala Madhavan, and Dileep's sister Sabitha were recorded by Crime Branch officials as part of the investigation in the 2017 actor assault case on Wednesday.
Malayalam actor Kavya Madhavan had claimed that she did not use the phone number from which calls were reportedly made to director Balachandrakumar.
The Crime Branch had submitted in the High Court that this information was false. The SIM card in question was registered in the name of Kavya's mother Shyamala. The probe team has sought an explanation on this.
Crime Branch requests permission for forensic examination of memory card
The Kerala High Court has directed the prosecution to explain the purpose of the plea, seeking to send the memory card, a crucial piece of evidence in the 2017 actor assault case, for forensic examination. The HC has posted the hearing on the petition, filed by the Crime Branch, to Monday.
The court on Wednesday sought to know the significance of the change in hash value of the memory card. “If the document submitted in court has been tampered with, will the accused benefit from it? The court has the authority over the submitted document,” it said.
Justice Bechu Kurian also orally asked why the prosecution was reluctant to let the accused be impleaded in the petition.
The Crime Branch's petition and the survivor-actress' petition have the same stance over the matter. “Need to get separate opinions on the matter. The court should have a clear picture,” the HC stated. The court said that Dileep can make submissions, if permission is sought to get impleaded in the plea.
The petition was filed against an order by the trial court, which dismissed a plea to send the memory card for forensic examination. The Crime Branch had sought the forensic examination to probe the change in hash value which indicates that the memory card, that is in the court's custody, had been illegally accessed.
The survivor-actress had also filed a plea, alleging that the government was subverting the further probe into the case. She had also sought a probe under the supervision of the High Court. The court said that both the petitions would be considered jointly. Earlier, Dr Justice Kauser Edappagath had recused himself from hearing the petition.
