A. HARIPRASAD, J.

1. Nelliyampathy hillocks and hamlets in Palakkad District are famous for scenic beauty and fertile farm lands. Tapioca is a prominent cultivation, besides vast plantations and other cash crops.

2. In November, 1992, towards end of the month, the inhabitants of Mandhamchola in Nelliyampathy Village woke up on hearing the news that Chandran, a native and one Thankamani, a lady who lived with him, had gone missing mysteriously. They were residing in a shed erected in the farm land where Chandran had been cultivating tapioca. It may be relevant in this context to note that there is a serious dispute regarding the date of their disappearance. After a couple of months, mortal remains of Chandran in the form of a skeleton, shirt, etc. were found out from a place in Mandhamchola. Shortly thereafter, charred bones of a human being were also found out from a nearby place. Even before that, a case had been registered in Padigiri Police Station as Crime No. 2 of 1993 under the caption "man missing." Later the crime was altered to one for murder and other offences. Dissatisfied with the manner in which the local police conducted the investigation, there was public out