Kurien, the then Union Minister and later Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman belonging to UDF led by Congress party, was named, the issue was politicised, due to a then upcoming general election.
[8] On 12 July 2002, the prime accused - Dharmarajan was found guilty of various charges and sentenced to life imprisonment.
[10] On 20 January 2005, the Kerala High Court acquitted all 35 convicts, except prime accused Dharmarajan, due to lack of evidence corraborating the victim's statement.
[13] In early February 2013, Dharmarajan appeared in a TV interview and said that P. J. Kurien was involved and the police covered it up.
[19] On 4 April 2014, the Kerala High Court upheld Dharmarajan's life sentence and acquitted 7 of the 35 surviving accused.
[21][22] On 16 January 1996, a 16-year-old girl (initially reported as 15),[23] from Suryanelli village in Idukki district, disappeared from her hostel.
[2][23][24] The girl was examined by V. K. Bhaskaran (later prosecution witness #73), a gynaecologist at Government Taluk Hospital, Adimali, on 28 February 1996.
The infection, inflammation, ulcers and fresh tears, coupled with the victim's visible distress, signified violence.
Additionally, he pointed out that contusions or abrasions occurring in the initial days would have healed by the end of the ordeal, given the timeline.
Thereafter, she was taken to the various places, which included Kumili, Kambam, Palakkad, Vanimel, Aluva, Theni, Kanyakumari, Trivandrum, and Kuravilangad.
The court criticised the police's handling of the case in the initial stages and its attempt to shield the accused persons.
The court presided by P. Chandrasekhara Pillai found him guilty of several charges including gang rape and abduction on 10 July 2002.
The court said that as a lawyer he was aware of the implications of his actions and sentenced him to life in prison on 12 July 2002 by judge V. Chandrasekharan Nair.
[2][11][24] The defence had pointed out as girl had squandered her hostel fees on other purposes and had admitted to pawning her jewellery on 1 January 1996, weeks before eloping.
The initial statements given to various officers after her reappearance were presented a very late date, as a result the defence couldn't make a good case or cross examine the victim properly.
The defence also pointed to an early statement made by the father which proved that, he was aware that the girl had run away, not kidnapped.
The prosecution also provided evidence that the prime accused, Dharmarajan, was residing in the lodge where she was first raped, since 2 January 1996.
[11] The court noted that some investigating officers were aware of the existence of a letter written by the girl before her disappearance, but they had not tried to trace it or simply did not present it.
Another public witness, used to prove conspiracy, had changed his statement later, claimed that he being harassed by the police and had to move away.
There was also evidence that the father kept close tabs on her movements and frequently called the nuns of the convent school.
On 16 January, the school had called the father to inform him that the girl had sought permission to go and give her clothes to the laundry.
[11] The court held Dharmarajan guilty of Sections 366 (A) (kidnapping with intention of rape) and 372 (selling a minor for sex) of the Indian Penal Code.
The court, presided by Justice K. R. Udayabhanu, used the power vested in it under the Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, to correct errors of lower court, and discharged the Kurien under Section 227 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (insufficient evidence).
On the first day, 31 January 2013, a bench of Justice A. K. Patnaik and Gyan Sudha Misra set aside the Kerala High Court's order.
[32] Around 9 February 2013, TV channel Indiavision broadcast an interview of former judge R. Basant, who was part of the two-member bench that acquitted most of the accused in 2005.
He repeatedly asked the interviewer to read the judgement to understand why he and judge Gafoor (by then deceased) had acquitted them.
The job had been provided to her by the LDF government under Chief Minister E. K. Nayanar's reign, who belonged to CPI-M.
[46][47] In 2012, it was reported that the victim had been suspended from her job at the Changanacherry sales tax office in a case of breach of trust and forgery.
[47][48][49] In 2013, she told Sneha Mary Koshy of NDTV that her family had changed house twice due to jeering neighbours.
[51] A Malayalam language film, Achanurangatha Veedu, was made by director Lal Jose based on this case.