HC seeks report in Ayesha case

Parents allege evidences are being destroyed before appeal

Parents of Ayesha Meera, a 19-year-old Pharmacy student who was raped and murdered brutally in a hostel at Vijayawada, on Monday informed the Hyderabad High Court that the material objects (evidence) in the murder case which are in the trial court were destroyed before filing the appeal against the verdict of the trial court.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan and Justice S.V. Bhatt was dealing the petition by Ms Shamshad Begum and Mr Iqbal Basha, parents of Ayesha Meera seeking the court to monitor the investigation of the case by Special Investigation Team.

While wondering at the submission of petitioners’ counsel D. Suresh Kumar with regard to destroying of the material objects, the bench asked the DIG and head of the SIT Ch. Srikanth, whether they had made any requisition to the trial court for seeking material evidence in the case.

The bench made it clear that it would ensure steps to rectify the mistake taken place in the trial court.

Mr Suresh Kumar submitted that the SIT has not taken any steps to identify the persons responsible for destroying the material objects which are in the custody of the trial court before the filing the appeal in the case. He urged the court to grant an order handing over the investigation of the case to the CBI.

Special counsel for the AP Krishna Prakash, while submitting the status report of the investigation in a sealed cover before the bench, said that the SIT has to invariably depend on the old records of the case during the investigation as the incident took place almost 11 years ago.

He told the court that the SIT had filed an appeal before the High Court challenging the order of the trial court in dismissing the plea of the SIT to conduct narco analysis test on the suspects who were named by the parents of victim. He urged the court to grant time to find out the persons responsible for destroying the evidence of the case.

While granting four weeks’ time, the bench directed the SIT to submit the report explain the response of the trial court on the requisition of the SIT for production of material objects and also status of the investigation before the court.