The Kerala High Court has ordered a re-trial in the case relating to the rape-death of two minor girls of Dalit community in Walayar, Palakkad district in the year 2017.

The court also ordered a re-trial in the case and that all four accused should appear before the trial court on January 20. Allowing the appeals of the State govt, a division bench comprising Justices A Hariprasad and MR Anita set aside the acquittal of the accused. The accused have been asked to surrender before the trial court on January 20. The HC has also given liberty to the prosecution to seek further investigation in the case. One of the four accused, Pradeep Kumar, had died last year in a suspected suicide. Valiya Madhu, Kutty Madhu and Shibu are the remaining three accused.

" It is high time for the political and bureaucratic executive to understand that inexcusable flaws in the investigation into serious offences will only bring disrepute to the administrative setup. State govt should take up serious steps to educate police officers," it said. "We are disheartened to note the manner in which the Special Judge conducted the trial. He failed to perform a proactive role at the time of taking evidence," it added.

In October 2019, a Special Court at Palakkad had acquitted four persons. The elder sister, aged 13, was found hanging in her house on January 13, 2017. Within two months, her nine-year-old sibling was also found hanging in her house on March 4, 2017.

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