High Court orders further CBI probe into Balabhaskar's death

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has ordered a further investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the death of violinist Balabhaskar. Justice G. Girish overturned the Thiruvananthapuram Chief Judicial Magistrate Court's order that had rejected the plea for further investigation. The High Court directed that the investigation be conducted by an officer not below the rank of Additional Superintendent of Police. The order came on a petition filed by Balabhaskar's parents, K. C. Unni and B. Shanthakumari, challenging the magistrate court's decision.

Balabhaskar and his daughter, Tejaswini Bala, died in a road accident near Pallippuram in the early hours of September 25, 2018. The CBI had concluded that Balabhaskar's death was the result of an accident. However, following a complaint by his parents alleging the involvement of a gold smuggling gang, the High Court had earlier ordered a further probe. The CBI inspector who conducted the subsequent investigation reiterated the earlier findings.

The High Court strongly criticised the decision to entrust the investigation to an inspector whose rank was lower than that of the officer who had handled the case earlier. It also observed that the CBI had failed to properly examine 20 suspicious circumstances highlighted by the court.

The court said the parents' suspicion that Balabhaskar's friend, Prakash Thampi, had kept the violinist's mobile phone for several months to destroy evidence could not be dismissed. It also criticised the CBI for failing to use scientific methods, including a lie detector test, to examine the revelations made by Kalabhavan Soby George. In view of these shortcomings, the High Court ordered a fresh probe by a competent and impartial senior officer. It directed the CBI to appoint a new investigating officer within two weeks.