Court asks police to follow SC guidelines on lie-detector test

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, February 15

The court has issued directions to the Panchkula Police to follow Supreme Court orders while carrying out brain mapping and lie-detector test on Manmohan Kumar in the Rajni murder case.

A three-judge bench of the then Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan, Justices RV Raveendran and JM Panchal, in a 251-page judgment, on May 5, 2010, in the Selvi vs State of Karnataka case, had stated that if the accused volunteers for a lie-detector test, he should be given access to a lawyer and the physical, emotional and legal implication of such a test should be explained to him by the police and his lawyer.

Defence counsel Sameer Sethi said now the Panchkula police would take time for the test and they would inform them accordingly.

On Wednesday, the court had ordered for brain mapping and the lie-detector test after accused Manmohan Kumar consented for it.

On February 8, Panchkula police had moved an application for brain mapping and lie-detector test on Manmohan Kumar, an advocate by profession.

Having failed to trace Rajni’s body, the police had submitted to the court that brain mapping and the lie-detector test on advocate were required as he was not revealing anything about the body.

They alleged that he was misguiding them by claiming that the body had been dumped in Morni or Himachal Pradesh.

The police had arrested Manmohan Kumar, his woman friend Monica and her relative Sandeep in the Rajni murder case. But to date, they have only found the rope used in the crime besides her sari and jewellery.

Rajni had gone missing on January 16. Her husband had got registered the first information report the same day. According to the police, it was Monica who made the last call to her. Rajni had brought her sari along with her for some tailoring work. Both then roamed around in the car. Monica had allegedly strangled her inside the car and later dumped her body.