Kerala HC seeks CBI’s views on demand for probe into 23 child death cases in Palakkad

Kochi: Kerala high court has sought the CBI’s views on 23 cases involving the alleged unnatural deaths of children in Palakkad district between 2010 and 2023 and directed the agency to submit a report within one month.The bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice V M Syam Kumar further observed that any clarification or information required by CBI may be sought from the district police chief, Palakkad. HC also stated that the agency may seek any additional information necessary from the state police to enable it to file its report and adjourned the matter to Aug 6.HC was considering a PIL filed by K Salil Lal Ahamed and four other members of the Walayar Neethi Samara Samithy — a civic forum formed to seek justice for the two minor Dalit girls of Walayar who were allegedly sexually assaulted and later found dead in 2017 — seeking a court-monitored investigation into the alleged deaths.

The petitioners raised serious allegations in their PIL regarding the unnatural deaths of children in Palakkad district in light of the findings that emerged from the investigation into the deaths of the Walayar girls.

They contended that pathological autopsy reports and other materials suggested that the deaths of several children were either homicidal or highly suspicious, although the cases had initially been closed as suicides.

During a previous hearing in Feb 2026, HC had directed CBI to apprise it of the status of three cases — two registered at the Walayar police station concerning the deaths of the Dalit girls, and one registered at Kasaba police station relating to the 2011 deaths of Saseendran, the former company secretary of Malabar Cements Ltd, and his two sons, aged 11 and 8. HC had also directed the crime branch investigation team to file a report on a case registered at the Kollengode police station concerning the death of an 11-year-old girl in 2010.

When the matter came up for consideration on Thursday, HC noted that the CBI had not filed any report. Accordingly, it directed the agency to examine the records relating to the alleged deaths of 23 children and file a report.CBI told to probe Kollengode caseWhile perusing the crime branch’s status report on the investigation into the case registered at the Kollengode police station in 2010 regarding the death of an 11-year-old girl, HC noted various irregularities in the investigation.

Consequently, it ordered that the case be handed over to CBI.The allegation was that, despite clear indications of sexual assault, the police concluded that the Kollengode girl had died by suicide by hanging without adequately investigating the possibility of sexual assault. It was further alleged that the hanging was, in all likelihood, a case of homicide.