Kochi: The Kerala High court Thursday directed
the state police to hand over to CBI investigation in the
murder of Muthoot business group scion Paul Muthoot George.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice S R Bannurmath
and Justice Thothathil B Radhakrishnan also directed the CBI
to complete the investigations in six months time.
The court`s direction came on a petition filed by Muthoot
business group Chairman M G George, seeking a CBI probe into
his son Paul`s murder in August last year.
The court directed the police to hand over all relevant
documents regarding the case to CBI.
During the hearing, police had told the court that
investigations were carried out meticulously based on "true
facts" but the bench criticised the police probe on several
occasions.
The state government had also informed the court that it
was not "afraid" of a CBI probe, contending that a fair
investigation has been conducted by the state police.
Pressing for the CBI probe, the Muthoot family had
submitted in the court that police had not properly recorded
their statements and had `omitted relevant parts from their
statements.`
The Bench also criticised IGP Vinson M Paul, who headed
the SIT, for conducting a press meet with regard to the
investigation in the case.
The Kerala government had formed a Special Investigation
Team (SIT) to probe the murder of Paul Muthoot, a young
businessman of the multi-crore Muthoot group with diverse
business interests including finance and hospitality sectors.
The SIT had filed chargesheet in Ramankiri court in
Alapuzha listing 25 accused in the case. The Magistrate had
returned the chargesheet saying it was incomplete. However,
the High Court on an appeal by the state government had stayed
the order.
Paul`s father had filed the petition expressing
dissatisfaction at the police investigation and seeking CBI
probe.
PTI
