‘PM-level influence to cover up Abhaya case’

He was deposing before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court on Thursday in a case filed by Human Rights activist Jomon Puthenpurackal about the tampering of chemical examination report of the vaginal swab and smear of Abhaya at the Chemical Examiners’ Laboratory.

Varghese P Thomas has been included as the complainant witness in the case.

During the cross-examination by the complainant, Jomon, and the counsel of the accused, Varghese said the then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao through CBI director K Vijayarama Rao had exerted pressure on SP Thyagarajan, who was in charge of the inquiry, to write off the case as a suicide.

“It was after the team led by me collecting crucial evidence suggesting that it was a clear case of murder,” he said. Varghese said that being an honest officer he could not abide by the directive of SP Thyagarajan.