In a twist in a 2020 murder case, the wife of the man who spent over a year in jail on charges of her murder has been found alive and appeared before the court. The case raised serious questions about lapses in the police investigation of the matter.
After the woman's shocking appearance, the court ordered the Superintendent of Police (SP) to submit a complete report on the case before April 17, PTI reported.
What exactly happened?
The incident was first reported when a 38-year-old man from Kushalnagar in Mysuru's Kodagu district filed a missing person complaint about his wife, Mallige, in December 2020.
Subsequently, the police found the skeleton of a woman in Bettadarapura (Periyapatna taluk) and filed a charge sheet in court, alleging that the skeleton belonged to Mallige and that Suresh had murdered her. He was then jailed.
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However, on April 1, Mallige was spotted alive and well in Madikeri by a friend of Suresh, dining with another man at a hotel. This discovery prompted an immediate investigation into the case, with Mallige eventually being brought before the court, where she confessed to having eloped and married another man.
{{/usCountry}}However, on April 1, Mallige was spotted alive and well in Madikeri by a friend of Suresh, dining with another man at a hotel. This discovery prompted an immediate investigation into the case, with Mallige eventually being brought before the court, where she confessed to having eloped and married another man.
{{/usCountry}}She was then taken to the Madikeri police station, following which an "advancement application" was filed before the district judge's court.
Police probe under scrutiny
Taking serious note of the police's lapses, the court on Thursday directed the SP to submit a complete report on the case by April 17.
However, the police had sent the skeleton for a DNA test along with blood samples from Mallige’s mother.
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"Even before the DNA report came, the police filed the final charge sheet in court. Later, though he got bail, the DNA test report that eventually came showed a mismatch," he said.
What did Suresh's lawyer say?
Calling this a very serious and rare case, Suresh's advocate said the key questions before the court now are: whose skeleton was it, and why did the police file a false charge sheet?
"The court had summoned the SP and the investigating officers in the case, but they had no answers to offer. It has now directed the SP to file a complete report on the lapses before April 17 before delivering the judgment declaring Suresh innocent," he said.
"I will seek justice and compensation for my client. We will also approach the Human Rights Commission and the ST Commission, as Suresh is a poor man from the ST community," he said.
Further, he added there should be a probe into the skeleton case and whether there was a conspiracy by the police to close both cases by naming Suresh as the accused.