Rape convict places Kurien at the scene, time of 'crime'

Dharmarajan said he will surrender to the police in a few days, as per a recent Supreme Court order setting aside the acquittal of the accused.

Kurien, who is under pressure to quit as the Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson, told the media that it should be probed why Dharmarajan had not raised the allegation in court. "If the police had prevented him from revealing my name, he could have done it in court," Kurien said.

Mathews said Dharmarjan was trying to create confusion now that the high court was slated to take up the case again. "I deny his allegations. His statement had been recorded by the judge during the trial," the then investigating offer said.

Mathews also said that two other investigating teams had probed Kurien's alleged role, and found nothing to substantiate it.

This is the third setback for Kurien in the case. Last week, a witness who had provided the Congress leader alibi for the evening of the alleged assault had retracted his statement, saying that he had met Kurien on February 18, 1996, and not the following day. Besides, the wife of P K Idukkula, a friend of Kurien, had said the Congress leader had come to their house in Thiruvalla at 4 pm and not 7 pm as earlier claimed.

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