Vengaivayal incident: Retd Judge to oversee CB-CID probe

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Tuesday decided to appoint a retired High Court Justice to oversee the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) probe on the Vengaivayal incident wherein human faeces was mixed with the water in the overhead tank used for drinking by residents of a dalit colony in Pudukkottai district.

In December 2022, human faeces were found floating in the overhead tank supplying drinking water to the Scheduled Caste families in Vengaivayal.

Rajkamal from Veppampattu, Tiruvallur district filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Madras High Court seeking an order to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the Vengaivayal incident.

"Even after 70 years of independence, untouchability still exists in the country. The social justice which was offered by the constitution is also a long-dream to the scheduled caste people. The scheduled caste and scheduled tribes being treated as second grade citizens of India," the petitioner stated in his plea.

The petitioner also contended that though the investigation into the Vengaivayal incident was transferred to CB-CID, there was no breakthrough or progress made in the case and no action was taken against the persons involved in the incident.

Therefore, there was a need to transfer the investigation to the CBI, the petitioner said and sought a direction in this regard. When this Public Interest Litigation came up for hearing before acting Chief Justice T Raja and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy, Additional advocate general Ravindran submitted the report of the CB-CID investigating officer to the bench and informed that a total of 147 witnesses have been questioned in connection with this case.

"As contradictory information has been revealed about the incident, further investigation is underway," he explained to the court. Accepting this, the bench questioned why the retired High Court Justice should not be appointed to oversee the trial of the case. Then the bench adjourned the case for final orders.