Counsel: No one knows why Sujatha took own life

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KUALA LUMPUR: Actress K. Sujatha (pic) committed suicide for reasons best known to her, an inquest into her death heard yesterday.

Datuk K. Kumaraendran, counsel for the deceased’s family and who is also acting for her former employer and close friend S. Vell Paari, said they were not privy to the reasons.

He dismissed any third party involvement in her death.

He said the actions of Vell Paari, who spent lavishly on Sujatha, including buying her a RM420,000 condominium, acting as guarantor for her car loan and financing her brothers’ education should not be associated with her death.

Making his submissions, he said coroner Mohd Faizi Che Abu should not fail to reach a positive conclusion because there were doubts on some minor points.

Kumaraendran said the coroner had to consider the forensic expert’s evidence affirming that Sujatha drank the paraquat on her as there were no splash marks on her.

Kumaraendran said the coroner had to also look into circumstantial evidence which irresistibly showed that Sujatha had committed suicide (she died of paraquat poisoning), and that her father, K. Krishnan, 53, had also ruled out foul play over her death.

He said the court should also consider the evidence given by Sujatha’s younger brother Surenthiran that he bought the paraquat upon her request.

“Sujatha had claimed that she wanted the para-quat for her friend. There is no interested party here,” Kumaraendran stressed.

He said Sujatha was even queried by Vell Paari’s cousin and doctor Dr S.P. Sakti Vello who had treated her and the actress had told him she drank the paraquat unknowingly.

DPP Geethan Ram Vincent said the coroner had to evaluate the evidence given by 24 deponents over her cause of death.

He said the evidence was important to determine “when, where, how and after what manner Sujatha died” and also whether any person was criminally concerned in the cause of her death.

The DPP said the evidence given by Vell Paari and Dr Sakti over the reasons for drinking the paraquat was difficult to believe.

He said Surenthiran’s evidence was suspicious, too.

Coroner Mohd Faizi Che Abu will deliver his verdict, including the cause of Sujatha’s death, on Sept 29.

Sujatha, who had worked as Vell Paari’s personal assistant and head of corporate department, died on June 25, 2007, four days after being admitted to hospital. She was 28 years old.