Kerala HC stays trial in sex racket case for two months

Kochi, Nov 16 (UNI) The Kerala High Court today stayed for two months the trial court proceedings in the Suryanelli sex racket case.

Justice K T Sankaran, while admitting a petition by Rajya Sabha member and former minister P J Kurien to be discharged from the case, also summoned the trial court records.

Director General of Prosecution P G Thamby, who accepted the notice on behalf of the State, opposed Mr Kurien's petition, filed against the order of the sessions court, Thodupuzha, which rejected his discharge petition.

In his plea before the HC, the MP contended that he had been wrongly arraigned as an accused in the 1997 case, involving the sexual exploitation of a minor girl, and pleaded that he be discharged.

The case relates to the abduction of a minor girl from her house at Suryanelli in Idukki district by a bus conductor on the promise of marrying her. He then allegedly confined her at various places in the State and allowed several people to sexually assault her under threat and coercion.

The police had named 42 accused in the chargesheet and Mr Kurien's name did not figure in it. The victim later filed a private complaint against him before the Peeremedu Judicial First Class Magistrate, who, on examining seven witnesses mentioned in the complaint and on the basis of a preliminary inquiry, arraigned Mr Kurien as an accused in May, 1999.

The Kerala High Court had in 1999 dismissed a petition by Mr Kurien holding that no ground had been made for quashing the proceedings before the Peeremedu magistrate.

The Supreme Court, while disposing of a petition filed by Mr Kurien challenging the HC order, had directed the trial court to deal with the discharge petition, uninfluenced by the observations made by the High Court. The Bench had also directed that Mr Kurien be released on bail on his appearing before the trial court.

The sessions court at Thodupuzha rejected Mr Kurien's discharge plea about one month ago.

UNI XR ARC MSJ BST1312