Regressive acts such as human sacrifice backtrack society at a time when science and technology lead society towards progress and development, the Ernakulam Judicial Magistrate of First Class 8 has noted.
Magistrate Eldos Mathew made the observation while granting the police custody of the three accused, Muhammed Shafi, Bhagaval Singh, and Laila Bhagaval Singh, in the Elanthur human sacrifice case.
The alleged incident, which has no parallel in Kerala in the recent past, has stunned the consciousness of society as a whole. The spirit of the Constitution is to promote scientific temper. However, Facebook, mobile phone, and YouTube are being mainly used for spreading weird beliefs, superstitions, and rituals, the court noted.
The prosecution case is that the accused murdered and mutilated two women as part of a ritualistic human sacrifice aiming at financial prosperity.
M.C. Anish, Assistant Public Prosecutor, submitted that the first accused was a sexual pervert who used black magic to satiate his perversions. A thorough investigation had to be conducted to find out whether more people were sacrificed or were involved in the commission of the crime. The money received for the witchcraft had to be recovered and the weapon used for the commission of the offence had to be traced. Investigation had also to be extended to the pending missing cases as well, he submitted.
A.B. Aloor, defence lawyer, argued that the investigating officer was seeking police custody for pressuring the accused to yield to their unlawful demands.
The court noted that the investigating officer had mentioned about 20 specific areas where detailed investigation had to be held. In these circumstances, custodial interrogation was highly necessary for getting further clues and leading information conducive for a proper and thorough investigation covering various spectrum of the case, the court noted.
The accused were released to police custody till October 24.
