Gujarat HC allows Santokben to approach SC over narco test

Ahmedabad, July 19 (UNI) Gujarat High Court today gave time to 'Godmother' Santokben Jadeja till August one to approach the Supreme Court over the issue of narco and brain mapping tests.

Earlier on June 30, Junagadh trial court had kept her bail plea pending subject to completion of narco analysis and brain mapping test in the case pertaining to sheltering two accused in the murder and rape of two Koli girls at Upala Datar in Junagadh district.

Santokben was arrested for sheltering two suspects, believed to be friends of her son Kandhal Jadeja, in the rape and murder of the two Koli girls.

Of the two girls, who had gone to Datar shrine in Junagadh, one was raped and the other was murdered on May 13 this year by suspects who were absconding.

Santokben had then approached the High Court to order the trial court to resolve the issue by either accepting or rejecting the tests instead of keeping her bail plea pending subject to completion of the narco and brain mapping tests.

When hearing resumed today before Justice M R Shah, Santokben's counsels Nirupam Nanavaty and Mitesh Amin requested the court that the issue whether consent of the accused was needed before such tests could be performed was pending before the Supreme Court in the case of G Venkatesam and the state of Andhra Pradesh. ''Since the issue is being debated in the SC whether without consent such tests can be performed, we, therefore, wish to approach the SC and place the issue before the court'', they said.

The court granting the request of the two counsels and adjourned the hearing till August 1.

It may be recalled that in the case of three IPS officers arrested in the fake encounter case involving the killing of Soharabuddin and his wife Kauser Bi, the Metropolitan court had refused to subject the three IPS officers to narco test.

The state had then gone to the sessions court arguing that narco test could be conducted on the three IPS officers. However, the session court had said that since the issue of narco test in Santokben case was being heard by the High Court, the resolution of the issue would depend on the outcome in the High Court.

UNI