Kerala HC orders CBI inquiry into death of minor in police quarters

Ernakulam (Kerala) [India], February 21 : The Kerala High Court on Tuesday ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the suspicious death of a minor girl in Thiruvananthapuram in March last year.
The Kerala HC's order comes after eight months of police inquiries that couldn't pinpoint the accused.
Justice Bechu Kurian Joseph's bench ordered a CBI inquiry after the mother of the deceased approached the High Court.
The 13-year-old girl was found unconscious on March 29, 2023, in the bathroom of her residence located in the police quarters. She was rushed to the Medical College for treatment but unfortunately, she died on April 1, 2023.
The post-mortem report stated the cause of death as intracranial haemorrhage. It was also found that the girl had been subjected to continuous acts of sexual abuse through vaginal and anal penetrations.
The case was initially investigated by the Museum Police under Section 174/CrPC. Based on the post-mortem report on April 2, 2023, another crime was registered on April 12, 2023, at the Museum Police station under Sections 376 DA, 376E, and 377 of the IPC, and Section 6 of the POCSO Act, 2012.
After a brief period, the investigation was later transferred to the District Crime Branch.
The petitioner, the mother of the deceased, alleged that the investigating team has not been able to make progress considering the seriousness of the crime.
She filed a writ petition for a CBI probe in the Kerala High Court, alleging that higher officials are trying to cover up the case because the minor was found in the police quarters.
She informed the court that the police didn't question her daughter's friends well. Considering these factors, the High Court ordered a CBI probe.