CBI gets nod to quiz P Jayarajan, with riders

KANNUR: The Thalassery district and sessions court has permitted the CBI to quiz CPM district secretary P. Jayarajan for three days in the Kathirur Manoj murder case. But the court dismissed  the CBI’s plea to get Mr Jayarajan  under its custody.

Judge V.G. Anilkumar said that the probe agency could interrogate the CPM leader at either  Kozhikode government medical college hospital (MCH) or the  Kannur central jail. “The agency can question Jayarajan for three days from March 9  between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m,” the court said after vetting the medical reports.

The reports were from  Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology in Thiruvananthapuram and MCH. At present, Mr  Jayarajan is undergoing treatment at MCH.

But the court rejected  Mr Jayarajan’s advocate P. Vishwan’s plea to have the presence of a physician and an advocate while questioning. Meanwhile, it is not clear whether the CBI would quiz him without getting him under their complete custody.

Kannur jail superintendent Asokan Arippa  was asked to make all necessary arrangements for the interrogation.  He told DC that Mr Jayarajan would be discharged from MCH on Wednesday and taken  back to the jail and the quizzing would take place there.   The  CBI may again approach the  ourt seeking the CPM leader’s custody.