Kerala High Court seeks progress report in Kalabhavan Mani death probe

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has asked the state government to file a report on the progress made in the probe connected  with  the death of actor Kalabhavan Mani. The court issued the order on Monday while considering a petition filed by Mani’s brother R.L.V. Ramakrishnan seeking a CBI probe into the case. Mr C.P. Udayabhanu, counsel for the petitioner, stated that the state police were  not conducting an effective probe into the circumstances of the death of the actor. The petitioner was forced to approach the court for a CBI probe due to the failure of the local police, he added. The state police head had  decided to hand over the probe to the CBI as per the request made by the petitioner.

But then the local police filed a report before the magistrate court in Chalakudy stating that the death of the actor was not due to homicidal poisoning.   The report of the chemical examiner had clearly stated that the viscera of the deceased carried traces of insecticide besides ethyl and methyl alcohol. Methyl alcohol is highly toxic, the petition stated. The combination of methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol and the insecticide has the potential to cause the death of even a healthy individual. In the case of the actor, who was suffering from liver ailments, the concoction of this deadly combination was administered with the intention of ensuring his death, the petition said.

It listed a number of failures on the part of the police team that probed the case and stated that “the police machinery was not interested in finding out the circumstances under which poison was administered to the body of Mani.” The petition  also alleged lack of foresight on the part of the state police regarding a  CBI probe. If a decision is taken to entrust the investigation of a case to the CBI,  the state will not conduct further probe.   The continuation of the investigation even after taking a decision to hand it over  to the CBI has to be viewed as a deliberate attempt to ensure that the CBI does not take over the probe, the petition said.