A dramatic turn of events took place in a 2020 murder trial when Mallige, the woman allegedly murdered by her husband Suresh, showed up alive in court. Suresh, who had more than a year in jail, was charged with murdering his wife when police found a skeleton and charged him on the premise that it was her remains.
On April 1, Mallige was spotted in Madikeri by Suresh’s friend. She was eating with another man, and it led to further inquiry. The authorities tracked her down, and she went on to admit in court to having eloped and married another man.
Court directs SP to submit report
After her appearance in court, the judge directed the Superintendent of Police (SP) to file a complete report by April 17. The court was worried about the police’s hasty filing of the charge sheet without waiting for DNA verification.
Police blunders in the limelight
Though police took DNA samples from the skeleton and Mallige’s mother, they filed the last charge sheet prior to getting the test results. The DNA report subsequently showed a mismatch, again pointing to investigative lapses.
Lawyer demands justice and compensation
Suresh’s lawyer termed it a rare and serious case. “The questions are simple: whose was the skeleton, and why did the police charge sheet falsely?” he said. He also revealed that the SP and investigating officers had no concrete answers in court.
Legal action and compensation on the cards
“I will file for justice and compensation to my client. We will also go to the Human Rights Commission and the ST Commission, as Suresh belongs to the ST community and is a poor man,” the lawyer further added. He demanded that there should be an inquiry into whether Suresh was framed by the police deliberately to close two cases simultaneously.
