Kerala High Court reaffirms Swami Saswathikananda died by drowning; rejects plea for reinvestigation

The Kerala High Court recently reaffirmed that the death of Swami Saswathikananda in 2002 was due to accidental drowning and there was no evidence of any foul play [All Kerala Anti-Corruption and Human Rights Protection Council v state of Kerala & ors]..Therefore, Justice Kauser Edappagath dismissed a petition filed by the All Kerala Anti-Corruption and Human Rights Protection Council seeking further investigation into the death.In a judgment rendered on March 12, the Court said that multiple investigations, including the last probe conducted by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), found no evidence to support allegations of homicide.He highlighted that the SIT had thoroughly examined all aspects, including allegations raised by the Sivagiri Mutt and the deceased's family and found no credible grounds to suspect foul play."The investigation and further investigation were conducted several times and all the investigations revealed that it was a case of death due to accidental drowning. The postmortem findings were consistent with death due to drowning. The chemical analysis report was collected. There is nothing in the chemical analysis report to suggest that it is a homicide. Several witnesses were questioned. Ext.P3 report would reveal that the SIT headed by the 4th respondent conducted in-depth investigation considering all the aspects of homicide based on the allegations raised by the blood relatives, authorities of Sivagiri Mutt etc," the Court said..Swami Saswathikananda, a monk in the lineage of disciples of Sree Narayana Guru and president of the Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham Trust, was found dead at the Periyar bathing ghat on July 1, 2002, allegedly by drowning, After his body was found, allegations flew thick and fast about the death.The local police examined 56 witnesses, including the medical officer who conducted the autopsy, and concluded that the death was due to drowning while the Swami was bathing.Dissatisfied with the initial findings, the deceased's family approached the High Court, leading to a direction for further investigation by the Superintendent of Police, Ernakulam (Rural).This second investigation, completed in 2004, also reaffirmed the conclusion of accidental drowning.Subsequent petitions seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry were dismissed by the Division Bench of the High Court and by the Supreme Court.Despite these outcomes, the Kerala government ordered a third investigation in 2007 through an SIT which also reaffirmed the earlier findings.The present petition was filed challenging the SIT's final report, seeking yet another probe, raising concerns regarding the conduct of two individuals, Swami's personal assistant Sabu and his driver Subhash.Additionally, the petition referred to statements by Dr Biju Ramesh, who alleged that the Swami's death was a murder.However, the SIT recorded statements from all relevant parties and found no evidence supporting these claims..After considering the evidence and multiple investigation reports, the Court concluded that the SIT had conducted an extensive inquiry and no further investigation was required."After conducting the further investigation, the SIT submitted the final report on 06.02.2021, reiterating that it is a case of accidental drowning. In these circumstances, I am of the view that no more investigation is necessary in this case. In these circumstances, I am of the view that no more investigation is necessary in this case," the Court ruled while dismissing the petition..The petitioner was represented by advocate BH Mansoor.Public Prosecutor MP Prasanth appeared for the State..[Read Judgment]