Court dismisses Achuthanandan plea for sex probe report

Kochi, May 2 (IANS) The Kerala High Court Wednesday dismissed a petition of Leader of Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan seeking a copy of the investigation report in the Kozhikode ice-cream parlour sex case allegedly involving state minister and Indian Union Muslim League leader P.K. Kunhalikutty.

It was Achuthanandan as the then chief minister in January last year who had ordered a fresh probe by the Kerala Police in the wake of fresh revelations in the case.

The case of sexual abuse of a minor girl, which allegedly involved Kunhalikutty, now the state industry minister, was closed by the court in 2006.

The alleged sex racket in early 1990s involved an ice-cream parlour in Kozhikode as its base and was named the 'ice cream parlour sex case' by the media.

In January last year, Rauf (whose wife is the sister of Kunhalikutty's wife) had made an allegation against the minister at a press conference, and Achuthanandan had directed additional director general of police Vinson M. Paul to begin a fresh inquiry in the case.

This is the second setback for the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) veteran after the court in September last year dismissed a petition filed by him seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the case.

The court Wednesday said Achuthanandan need not be given a copy of the report as it was not a public document and he was not entitled for it.

However, the court added that the CPI-M leader could get a copy of it when the report would be submitted in the trial court and would become a public document.

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