The Thiruvananthapuram Chief Judicial Magistrate Court on Friday ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to further probe the missing case of Pathanamthitta native Jesna Maria James.
The court passed the order on a plea by Jesna’s father James Joseph, who had moved the court against an application submitted by the CBI to end the ongoing investigation citing lack of any substantial evidence.
Mr. Joseph had submitted new “evidence” in a sealed cover to the court a few days ago. The court decided in favour of the petitioner after scrutinising the case diary presented by the investigation team.
The petitioner had urged the court to extend the CBI probe for another six months. He claimed the agency had not looked into various angles, including Jesna’s blood-stained clothes, source of ₹60,000 found in her wallet, a prayer centre that Jesna used to allegedly frequent, and the role of a friend who, Mr. Joseph alleged, was in constant touch with the missing girl.
Welcoming the judgment, Mr. Joseph alleged attempts had been made by certain quarters to mislead the investigation.
Jesna had gone missing after she left her home in Mukkoottuthara in Ranni on March 22, 2018 to go to her aunt’s home at Punchavayal near Mundakkayam.
