Human Sacrifice Case: Kerala High Court refuses to grant bail to key accused Laila Bhagawal Singh

The Kerala High Court Wednesday refused to grant bail to Laila Bhagawal Singh, one of the key accused in the human sacrifice case which rocked the State last year [Laila Bhagawal Singh v. State of Kerala]. .Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas delivered the verdict. .In early October 2022, news of two women who had been murdered, allegedly as part of a human sacrifice ritual, came to light in the State when the dismembered bodies of the women were recovered from Thiruvalla in Pathanamthitta district.Three persons were apprehended the same week for the alleged murder of the women, who were both lottery ticket sellers in Ernakulam district.The police arrested one Muhammed Shafi for allegedly for arranging the abduction and committing the sacrificial murder. The other accused, married couple Bhagawal Singh and Laila Bhagawal Singh, were arrested on suspicion of having commissioned and taken part in the sacrificial murder.All three accused were first remanded to judicial custody and then to 12 days of police custody..In November, Judicial First Class Magistrate-VIII at Ernakulam Eldos Mathew refused to grant Laila bail as he found merit in the prosecution's contention that the unparalleled crime was well-orchestrated and that thorough investigation was necessary."The investigation of the case is in its preliminary stage. if the accused is released on bail, it will affect the progress of the investigation. There is also chances of her intimidating witnesses, tampering with evidence and absconding," the magistrate's order stated..Subsequently, Laila apprached the High Court seeking bail.Advocate BA Aloor, appearing for Laila, argued that she was only a mere spectator to the incident and definitely not an active participant in the sacrificial murders. He also said that there was no material evidence to prove otherwise.In complete contrast, Director General of Prosecution, Senior Advocate TA Shaji, submitted that Laila was an active participant and that the crime branch had gathered evidence and received scietific analysis proving the same. He further submitted that the final report is almost ready and would be filed before the expiry of the statutory 90-day period. He also highlighted the gruesome and shocking nature of the crime. On hearing these contradictory submissions at the last hearing, Justice Thomas asked the prosecution to submit the case diary so that he could go through it once before passing any order.