Suryanelli case: No evidence against Kurien, Kamal Nath tells Rajya Sabha

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath on Tuesday defended Rajya Sabha deputy chairman PJ Kurien in Parliament saying there was no evidence against him in the Suryanelli rape case. The minister said that no evidence had been found against Kurien by the investigating agencies and even the lawyer who represented the rape survivor in the Supreme Court had said that no case could be made against him. CPM’s Sitaram Yechury later criticised the government for coming to the defence of Kurien saying that the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha should have made the statement himself. “We walked out of Rajya Sabha today and will continue to protest,” he said. “The Deputy Chairman must himself make a statement. The government cannot make a statement on his behalf,” Yechury said. [caption id=“attachment_640228” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] PJ Kurien. PTI[/caption] The rape survivor had recently filed another complaint seeking that PJ Kurien be named accused in the case, but the police refused to register it saying the matter was in court. In 1996, a school girl from Suryanelli in Kerala was abducted and raped by over 40 men in 40 days. In 2005, 35 men were tried for the crime and all but one were acquitted by the Kerala High Court. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court asked for a retrial.