The Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court here on Tuesday prima facie found material to make out a case of forgery and proceed against the states former chief chemical examiner and a serving junior scientific officer regarding the alleged tampering of chemical examination report related to Sister Abhayas unnatural death. Following reports that alterations had been made in the work record register of the chemical examination of the organs,the CJM had registered a case in 2007 following a PIL. Abhaya was found dead in her convent well at Kottayam in 1992. After several rounds of CBI investigation,two priests and a nun were arrested in 2009. Trial in the case is yet to begin. CJM Cheriyan Varghese found that charge should be framed against former chief chemical examiner V Geetha and chemical analyst M Chithra under sections 465 (forgery),466 (forgery of public register),471 (using as genuine a forged document) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy),read with 34 of the IPC. Geetha was joint chemical examiner and Chithra a technical assistant in 1992 when the alleged incident occurred. Geetha retired as chief chemical examiner. Posting the case to June 16,the court observed that the accused were not entitled to enjoy the protection under section 197 of CrPC for government employees.
