Facing persistent criticism over its handling of the court cases of the rape and murder of two minor girls in Walayar in 2017, the Pinarayi Vijayan government on Monday announced the removal of the public prosecutor handling the cases. Vijayan announced the removal of prosecutor Latha Jayaraj in the Kerala Assembly on Monday.
Vijayan told the Assembly that his government would respect the wishes of the victims of the parents of the two victims and would consider their demands for a CBI probe. Vijayan also warned action would be taken against those officials who had mishandled the investigations into the Walayar cases.
The two minor girls, who were sisters, were found hanging after being sexually assaulted in January and March 2017 in Attappalam in Walayar, near Kerala's border with Tamil Nadu. The victims were aged 11 and nine years; the older child was killed first.
Four people accused of being involved in the cases were released in September and October, triggering outrage across the state and criticism of the CPI(M)-led government. In late October, the trial court in Palakkad had said the accused had been acquitted due to lack of evidence.
Following the acquittal, Latha Jayaraj, the special public prosecutor dealing with cases filed under Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) act, had accused the police of missing several crucial aspects during their probe of the rape-murder cases in Walayar. The Hindu reported Jayaraj had claimed the police were not keen on conducting the trial with her as prosecutor and she did not get involved in the earlier stages of the trial.
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The victims' family had alleged that members of the CPI(M) had attempt to influence investigations. They had also declared they had no faith in the state police.
Last week, the Kerala High Court declared the acquittal of the accused was "not correct" and sought an explanation from the state government. The High Court had accepted an appeal from the victims' mother, challenging the acquittal.
