A Kerala court on Friday, May 10, directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to further investigate the disappearance of Jesna Maria James, a second-year BCom student, from her home in Pathanamthitta district in 2018, stated a report in PTI.

The direction to the agency was issued by Chief Judicial Magistrate Shibu Daniel on a plea moved by the missing girl's father against a closure report filed in the case by the CBI.

The order was confirmed by advocate Srinivasan Venugopal who represents the father.

The probe was handed over to the CBI in 2021 by the state crime branch on the directions of the Kerala High Court.

The girl had gone missing on March 22, 2018.

It may be recalled that on April 6, the CBI had informed the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, Thiruvananthapuram, that the Jesna Maria missing case does not warrant a reinvestigation and rejected the charge of Jesna’s father that the agency did not probe various elements connected with the case. This was reported by The New Indian Express.

Jesna’s father had filed an objection against the closure report alleging that the CBI overlooked crucial aspects, such as Jesna’s participation in an National Service Scheme (NSS) camp before her disappearance, severe bleeding and her friendships, as per the report.