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Kerala HC dismisses request for CBI probe in doctor murder case
The Kerala high court dismissed the writ petition filed by the parents of Vandana Das, a doctor who was stabbed to death by a man in May last year
Kochi
The Kerala high court on Tuesday dismissed the writ petition filed by the parents of Vandana Das, a doctor who was stabbed to death by a man in May last year. Her parents sought the transfer of the investigation from the state police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
However, the bench of Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas noted that the petitioners could not point to any serious flaws in the current investigation or specific reasons to doubt the credibility of the probe. “..there is no allegation of any criminal intent or act committed by any of the police officers. Petitioners allege only an act of cowardice by the police,” the court said.
Early morning on May 10, Vandana Das, a 22-year-old house surgeon, was stabbed repeatedly with a pair of scissors by Sandeep who was brought by the police to the taluk hospital in Kottarakkara to treat his leg wound.
The doctor, who suffered at least 16 incise wounds, including a tear in the lungs, succumbed to injuries the same day. The incident led to protests by healthcare professionals in Kerala demanding security at the government hospitals.
Subsequently, the government brought in an ordinance for the same.
The high court on Tuesday said the circumstances under which the investigation could be handed to the CBI were no longer res integra.
“The disciplinary proceedings against them (those who accompanied the accused to hospital) are admittedly pending. Since the petitioners were not able to point out any specific reasons to doubt the integrity or credibility of the investigation, this Court finds no reason to interfere with the investigation already conducted or to transfer the probe to CBI,” the court said.
