Complete trial in two months, HC tells lower court

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Wednesday directed the trial court in Thoothukudi to complete the probe into the murder of Kovilpathu Village Administrative Officer (VAO) Lourdu Francis (53), by sand mafia, in two months.

The VAO was hacked to death in broad daylight allegedly by a sand mafia gang at his office at Kovilpathu on April 25 and the Murappandu police registered a case under Sections 449,332,302 and 506(ii) of IPC and later arrested two persons, Ramasubbu (41) and Marimuthu (31) from Kaliyavoor.

Subsequently, SMA Pon Gandhimathinathan filed a PIL petition in the Madurai Bench seeking to transfer the probe into the VAO murder case to CB-CID.

Further, Gandhimathinathan in his petition claimed that on February 7, 2022, he had forwarded a petition to the Thoothukudi Collector, to consider the VAO’s request for transfer. But, the officials from RDO failed to act on the request.

In a status report filed before the Madurai Bench, the Thoothukudi SP denied all averments and allegations made by the petitioner and said the Murappandu inspector took stringent action based on a complaint from Marshall Yesuvadiyan, son of the deceased VAO, and arrested the two suspects.

On April 28, DSP, Thoothukudi Rural, who took up the investigation, recorded the statements of both the accused, who were detained under Goondas Act on May 4.

Therefore, the investigation was being carried out in a fair and impartial manner and the final report would be submitted at the shortest possible time, the SP said in the status report and sought the dismissal of the petitioner’s prayer.

A division bench of Justices GR Swaminathan and S Srimathy, after hearing both sides, directed to complete the investigation and file a charge sheet before the trial court within four weeks.