KOCHI: The CBI court on Monday discharged DYSP CK Ramachandran and Civil Police Officer Binu Ittoop in the Sampath custodial death case. CBI court judge K Kamanis gave the verdict on the plea filed by both the accused demanding to be acquitted from the case.

Sampath, the accused in the Puthur Sheela murder case, died in police custody on March 29, 2010. Following the murder of Sheela, Sampath and two others were taken into custody by the police team and taken to a cottage in Malampuzha where they were allegedly tortured. Sampath died while in police custody. The CBI has completed the probe and submitted its charge sheet. As per the CBI charge sheet, Sampath died due to internal bleeding. The two accused were acquitted at a time when the trial in the case was soon to begin.

As per the charge sheet, DySP Ramachandran came to the Palakkad Town North Police Station after learning that Sampath was killed in police custody and instructed the policemen to change the documents and create fake documents to save the guilty policemen. The CBI investigation team also found that the general diary, sentry relief book, arrest memos, Mahsar etc. were altered. The charge against Binu Ittoop is that he tried to influence a witness by paying money. The charge sheet issued by the CBI stated that Binu Ittoop influenced the witness to testify that Sampath was not taken to the cottage in Malampuzha and the police did not torture him in custody. However, the trial court held that there was no sufficient evidence to prove both accused had induced to commit the crime or destroyed the evidence. They were then acquitted.

Some of the accused in the case, including IPS officers Vijay Sakhere and Muhammad Yasin, were earlier exempted from the charge sheet by the CBI. At present civil police officers Johnson Lobo, TJ Brijit, Abdul Rasheed, S. Shillan, Grade A.S.I.K. Ramachandran, Head Constable K Madhavan and Circle Inspector Vipinadas are now facing trial.