A decade later, an IFS couple and six others to be prosecuted in custodial torture case in Keralam
Accused in the Malayattoor elephant poaching case in 2015 moves court after the Forest department refused sanction to prosecute the officials. Court holds that prosecution sanction is not required in the case as the alleged acts bore no reasonable connection with the performance of official duties
A decade after the incident, eight Forest officials from Kerala, including an Indian Forest Service (IFS) couple, are set to face trial for custodial torture. The Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Thiruvananthapuram has ordered the prosecution of officials T. Uma and her husband, R. Kamalahar, along with K. Vijayanandan, T.S. Mathew Jyothish, T. Sreejith, R.B.
Arunkumar, and K.S. Anu Krishnan. The complaint was filed by Aji Brait, an accused in the 2015 Malayattoor elephant poaching case. The complainant, Mr. Brait, claimed that he was illegally detained on July 11, 2015, and subjected to severe torture by the accused officials. He alleged that the officials beat him on his face, used a bamboo stick and an iron rod to inflict injuries, and even inserted a finger into his rib, causing multiple fractures.
The court ruled that prosecution sanction was not required as the acts committed by the accused did not have any reasonable connection with their official duties. The magistrate emphasized that custodial torture without justification would not be legally protected. The officials are now booked for multiple offenses, including voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons, causing disappearance of evidence, public servant framing an incorrect document with intent to cause injury, and dishonest misappropriation of property. One of the officials has vowed to appeal the decision to the Kerala High Court.
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