Kodanad heist-cum-murder case posted for October 1

The court adjourned the case to October 1 after granting four weeks’ time for the prosecution to submit a report on the status of the inquiry

The Nilgiris District Sessions Court on Thursday posted the hearing of the sensational Kodanad heist-cum-murder case for October 1, even as the district police formed a special team to further investigate the case.

The court, which heard the matter on Thursday, adjourned the case to October 1 after granting four weeks’ time for the prosecution to submit a report on the status of the inquiry. The development comes almost a week after the Madras High Court ruled that the Nilgiris police can continue with further investigation in the case.

Lawyers representing the government sought more time to submit the status report as they will have to interrogate more people in connection with the case. Accepting the request, Judge C Sanjai Baba granted four weeks’ time and posted the case for October 1. Sayan and another accused Walayar Manoj were produced before the court on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Nilgiris Police formed a special team to carry out further investigation in the case. Sources said the team will be headed by an officer in the rank of ADSP.

The case assumed political significance after former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami alleged that the DMK was trying to frame him in the case by further investigating at a time the probe was nearing completion. During the hearing last week, Justice M Nirmal Kumar of the Madras High Court said the police was “fully empowered” to conduct further investigation in the case and ruled that the petitioner, ‘Anubhav’ Ravi, has no locus standi to seek a stay on further probe since he is a prosecution witness. Ravi is an office-bearer of Nilgiris district AIADMK.

Kodanad was the summer retreat of Jayalalithaa since she and her long-time aide V K Sasikala bought the sprawling bungalow in Kothagiri in the early 1990s. The former chief minister would visit the bungalow often when her party, AIADMK, was occupying the Opposition benches in the Assembly. Sayan and nine others are accused of breaking into the sprawling mansion owned by Jayalalithaa in 2017, months after her death, and killing a guard who was posted there. Police had then alleged that C Kanagaraj, Jayalalithaa’s former driver, and Sayan plotted the crime.

However, Kanagaraj, Sayan’s wife and their daughter died in separate road accidents, raising doubts. An “independent investigation” conducted by journalist Mathew Samuel alleged that Palaniswami was behind the break-in, but the former Chief Minister had steered clear of the issue, saying vested interests were trying to bring “disrepute” to him and Jayalalithaa.