THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: All the crucial pieces of scientific evidence in the Jisha murder case were collected during the initial stages of investigation disproving the charges of police lapses at that time. And it was scientific evidence that became the deciding factor in convicting the accused, Ameerul Islam.
A serious charge levelled by the LDF against former state police chief T.P. Senkumar was supervisory lapses in the probe. The initial team was even ridiculed for putting on display the slippers of the suspect as part of efforts to identify the culprit. The LDF government that came to power on May 25, 2016 reconstituted the investigation team within a week.
According to sources, the samples for all DNA tests were collected during the initial days of the probe itself and the results were received by May 2016. As many as six DNA samples of the accused were collected. While three were received from the bite marks on the dress of Jisha, two were recovered from her nails and another one from the bolt of the door of Jisha's house. The sand from the slippers was subjected to forensic test.
Another crucial scientific evidence relied upon during the investigation team was mobile phone call detail records. Within days of the crime, the investigation team gathered details of 25 lakh calls and they were subjected to detailed analysis. Incidentally, the results of the analysis that helped in zeroing in on Ameeral was received immediately after the investigation team was revamped alleging lapses. The allegations over allowing Jisha's relatives to cremate her body have also lost steam with the conviction of Ameerul.
Sessions court to give out sentence today:
The Ernakulam principal sessions court will on Thursday pronounce the sentence in the Jisha murder case. The court on Wednesday heard both the prosecution and the defence over the quantum of punishment. As the session began, Ameerul's counsel B.A. Aloor moved a plea seeking reinvestigation in the case by a central agency, which was summarily rejected by the court. He argued that the case solely rested on scientific and circumstantial evidences and had no eyewitness. The counsel also raised suspicion regarding credibility of the investigation team.
However, the court directed the defence to argue only over the quantum of punishment and not on innocence of Ameerul as the court have already found him guilty. The prosecution, meanwhile, demanded capital punishment to the convict, drawing parallel the Nirbhaya case. "The 25 cm long knife was inserted into her private parts causing fatal injuries to internal organs. The barbaric act is similar to the Nirbhaya case. Her vagina being mutilated in itself shows the perversion of the convict. It is only natural that the judicial conscience be satisfied with capital punishment being awarded to the accused Ameerul Islam," said advocate N.K. Unnikrishnan, the special public prosecutor.
To mention the aggravating circumstances in the case, the prosecution also cited the Ramnaresh Vs State of Chhattisgarh case. "The offence of murder was committed while the offender was engaged in another serious crime of rape. The offence was committed outrageously for want only while involve inhumane treatment and torture to the victim and total meanness was involved in the crime. It is a cold blooded murder without provocation. The crime was committed so brutally that it shocked not only the judicial conscience but even the conscience of the society," the prosecution quoted the judgement. Ameerul, on his part, reiterated his earlier position that he was being falsely implicated in the case and pleaded innocence.
