Actor assault case: Another Kerala HC judge recues from hearing survivor’s plea

Kochi: A high court bench of Justice Kauser Edappagath has recused from hearing the petition filed by the survivor in the 2017 actor abduction and rape case, seeking a re-investigation into the alleged unauthorised access to the memory card containing visuals of the crime while it was in judicial custody.

Earlier, Justice Jobin Sebastian had also recused himself from hearing the matter, as he had served as HC registrar (district judiciary) when the survivor lodged a complaint before the district judiciary regarding the alleged unauthorised access to the memory card by certain court officials. On Wednesday, Justice Edappagath recused himself from the case without assigning any reasons. Following his recusal, the matter will be posted before another single bench on Thursday.

The survivor has approached HC seeking a re-investigation by a special investigation team (SIT) constituted under HC’s supervision, with a direction to complete the probe within a stipulated time frame. She has also sought an investigation into whether the contents of the memory card were copied or transmitted and requested that the SIT include at least one member with expertise in cyber and digital forensics.