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Kerala HC Slams CBI's 'Casual' Probe
9 Oct
Summary
- Court ordered further CBI probe into violinist Balabhaskar's 2019 death.
- High Court criticized CBI's investigation as 'casual and lackadaisical'.
- New probe assigned to officer below previous investigator's rank.
The Kerala High Court has mandated a further investigation by the CBI into the 2019 death of violinist Balabhaskar. The court found the agency's previous handling of the case to be "casual and lackadaisical."
Justice G Girish pointed out that the current further probe was assigned to an Inspector, a rank lower than the previous Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) investigator. This, the court suggested, appeared to be a "damage control exercise."
Balabhaskar's parents requested the CBI investigation due to dissatisfaction with the Crime Branch's findings, which concluded the death was an accident. The CBI had also reached a similar conclusion.
The High Court had previously highlighted 20 suspicious circumstances for examination. However, the court observed that the CBI assigned the subsequent investigation to an Inspector, who largely affirmed the ASP's findings after re-examining witnesses.
The court expressed disappointment that the investigation lacked the expected "skill, tactics and expertise" of the CBI, failing to uncover the truth. It directed the CBI to assign the case to an officer of proven integrity, at or above the ASP rank, within two weeks.
