Kallakurichi hooch tragedy: MHC directs TN govt to hand over investigation to CBI

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court directed the State to hand over the entire investigation of the hooch tragedy at Kallakurichi to CBI and refused to invoke the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act,1989.

A division bench of Justice D Krishnakumar and Justice PB Balaji directed the police to transfer the case diaries of the investigation to the CBI within two weeks and ordered to provide fullest co-operation to the investigation agency.

After receiving the case diaries the CBI should probe into the matter expeditiously and file final report before the jurisdictional court, ordered the bench.

The bench refused to grant relief under SC/ST act to the victims' family.

Following the shocking incident of 68 individuals losing their life after consuming illicit liquor at Kallakurichi, a batch of public interest litigation moved in the high court seeking to transfer the investigation from State police to CBI or any other independent agency.

The batch of PIL was moved by AIADMK advocate IS Inbadurai, PMK advocate K Balu, AIADMK former MLA A Sridharan, BJP advocate Mohandas and DMDK former legislator Parthasarathy.

The litigants claimed that the police and local politicians had close nexus with the key accused persons of the Hooch tragedy and doubted the transparency of the investigation, hence they sought to transfer the probe.