No scientific tests on two suspects as of now

Mumbai, Dec 19 (UNI) The Bombay High Court was today informed that, as of now, scientific tests could not be conducted on suspects -- Liladhar Narkhede and Damodar Lokhande--in the case relating to murder of Jalgaon District Congress Committee president Prof V G Patil, in which Dr G N Patil, brother of President Pratibha Patil, was also alleged to be involved.

Solicitor General Goolam Vahanvati, appearing for the CBI, said the issue of constitutional validity of scientific tests like polygraph, brain-mapping and lie-detector was pending before the Supreme Court and until that was decided, the CBI would not be able to go ahead with the tests. And unless the tests were conducted, there could be no further progress in the matter as there was no other incriminating material against Lokhande and Narkhede, he said.

He also furnished progress report on the investigation in a sealed cover.

A division bench, comprising Justice R M S Khandeparkar and Justice Amajad Sayyad, therefore adjourned the hearing on the petition, filed by the Prof Patil's wife Rajani Patil, till February 7 next year.

The CBI had recorded a statement of deceased accused Raju Mali's wife, Rekha, on September 27 and in her statement, she had revealed name of one of the suspects Liladhar Narkhede, who had met Raju Mali about a month before the assault on Prof Patil.

Rekha Mali had further disclosed, according to the Solicitor General that, Narkhede had given money in advance to the Malis. The central investigating agency had also recorded the statement of Rekha's brother, Bhaskar Mahajan, and that had corroborated with her revelations.

Meanwhile, both Lokhande and Narkhede have filed an application before Chief Justice of the High Court, seeking transfer the petitions to Aurangabad bench of the High Court, as the entire cause of action had taken place within jurisdiction of the Aurangabad bench. The application was expected to be heard after Christmas vacation, in January.

Rajani Patil has moved the High Court seeking monitoring of the CBI investigations, alleging that Dr G N Patil, who was defeated by Prof V G Patil in District Congress Committee presidential elections in April 2005, and Dr Ulhas Patil, former Congress MP from Jalagaon, had given a contract to kill her husband out of intra-party rivalry.

She has further alleged that, despite specific statements of one of the two arrested accused, the CID and thereafter the CBI too, failed to arrest and question them. Prof V G Patil was brutally murdered on September 11, 2005 in Jalgaon.

UNI