Sujatha Kiran's allegation of wife-swapping in the navy had caused a sensation in 2013.
Highlights
- Navy officer's wife alleged abuse, rape and wife-swapping on 2013
- Supreme Court has rejected her demand for CBI probe
- Kerala police asked to set up special team to probe wife-swapping case
The allegations of wife-swapping raised by a naval officer's wife in Kerala will be looked into by a Special Investigation Team, the Supreme Court said on Thursday.
The court rejected the woman's request for a CBI probe, saying the agency must not be flooded with cases. The power to transfer cases to the CBI should be used "sparingly, cautiously and in exceptional situations," the court said to the petition by Sujatha Kiran, the estranged wife of a Naval Officer posted at Kochi.
Sujatha Kiran's allegation of wife-swapping in the navy had caused a sensation in 2013, the uproar driving then defence minister AK Antony to promise an inquiry.
The 26-year-old alleged that she was gang-raped by a group of officers at her husband's instigation after she found him in a compromising position with the wife of a commandant. She also said her husband tried to declare her insane after she refused to join wife-swapping parties.
Ms Kiran had told the court that no action was taken when she complained to Kochi's Harbour police and the Navy Chief at the time.
The Supreme Court has asked the Kerala police chief to set up the special investigation team that has to complete its inquiry "preferably" within three months.
The court dismissed Ms Kiran's request to transfer the case from Kerala to Delhi High Court.