Petition on Sampath case posted to April 9

KOCHI: The Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate Court on Monday adjourned the petition seeking a directive to the CBI to file a progress report in the Sampath murder case to April 9. “As the investigation officer in the case is no more, the plea could not be considered for the time being,” Magistrate S Santhosh Kumar said.  The Magistrate passed the order while considering a petition filed by Sampath’s brother Murukesan seeking court intervention in the investigation of the case. The petitioner also sought the arrest of ADGP Mohammed Yasin and DIG Vijay Sakhare. Both Yasin and Sakhare are accused in the custodial death of Sampath, the prime accused in the murder of Sheela of Puthoor.  Murukesan alleged that there were attempts to sabotage the inquiry. The CBI had implicated Yasin and Vijay Sakare, the then Thrissur range IG and Palakkad SP respectively. Yasin is the 15th accused while Sakhare is the 16th accused in the case. “Though the witnesses gave strong and convincing evidence against them the CBI officials were trying to protect the IPS officers,” the petitioner said. “There were no sincere efforts on the part of the CBI to book these officers who had threatened and intimidated the witnesses in their official capacity. They are active behind the scene, manipulating the investigation to save the bigwigs in the state police,” Murukesan alleged in the petition.  “It has come to the extent that witnesses in the case are being intimidated by the accused persons or by their agents, as revealed by Edathala Mani, a witness who had washed the blood stains at the cottage in Malampuzha where Sampath was reportedly murdered,” the petition said.