Thiurvananthapuram: The High Court’s observation that the Suryanelli victim’s statement should have been heard and that Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P. J. Kurien should not have been acquitted has come as a ray of hope for her and her parents. The High Court made the observation while considering Kurien’s discharge petition in the Suryanelli case dating back to 1996.
“Life has been hard for us for the last few months with my parents’ health deteriorating. I don’t know what happened in the court today. I just reached home from work,” the victim, 33, who has been working as a peon in sales tax department in Kottayam district, told DC. She has been living with the social stigma since the infamous incident happened in 1995.
The victim’s father, who is in his mid-70s, told DC: “We had actually lost all hope. I am aware of the HC’s observation today but don’t know what to say. We are helpless to do anything and are hoping against hope that justice will prevail in the end,” he said.
He has been ailing for the last few months and has undergone two surgeries for hernia. Due to persisting stomach pain, his family had taken him to Karnataka for further treatment.
