Curry and cyanide based on jolly joseph sets dangerous precedent, says forensic expert

Netflix’s latest true-crime documentary _Curry and Cyanide_, which investigates the sensational serial murders of six members of a family in Kerala’s Koodathayi, has come under criticism for

its alleged attempt to establish the guilt of an accused who is still under trial. Alleging that the documentary sets a “dangerous trend,” forensic expert Krishnan Rajendran has taken to

Facebook to point out that Jolly Joseph, the accused in the case, hasn’t yet been proven guilty. He says the film was especially concerning because it was not just a “cinematic adaptation”

but featured “actual protagonists,” including relatives of the accused and the six deceased persons, who are witnesses still appearing before the court in this case. “Imagine you have been

accused of a severe crime and a case has been registered against you. You get arrested and remanded. You don’t get bail. The case reaches the court, and again, you don’t get bail. You remain

an under-trial prisoner. The trial is actively progressing, and witness examinations are more than half-way done. At this point, a film/documentary based on your case gets released, that

too on a popular OTT platform like Netflix. The ‘actors’ in this film include the real complainants, the defence lawyer, the investigating officer, the witnesses associated with the case,

and the defacto complainant,” Krishnan Rajendran sets a scene for people to consider. He says that even before the court announces its verdict, this documentary has already “proved” before

the public that you are the culprit in this case. Krishnan, who is a senior forensic surgeon at the Department of Forensic Medicine in Government T D Medical College of Alappuzha, says, “If

you don’t see any problem with real people associated with a case (including forensic experts) appearing in a documentary to create a public perception about the accused who is currently

facing trial, I think you people need to wake up.” “Let the accused in the case be convicted if found guilty or otherwise acquitted,” says the forensic expert. “But everyone would do well to

understand the dangerous tendencies inherent in this trend. Many people of our land know well to build a specific narrative and use it to sway public perception,” he adds.