Suicide on HC premises: RDO directed to probe, submit report

CHENNAI: Madras High Court Acting Chief Justice T Raja directed the Kancheepuram district administration to appoint the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) to inquire about the friends and neighbours of Velmurugan, who had attempted suicide inside the court premises. The judge also asked officials to inquire with the school where the children of the deceased studied.

The court issued the direction after Kancheepuram Collector M Aarthi submitted that Velmurugan, who sought Scheduled Tribe community certificate for his son and daughter, actually belonged to a Scheduled Caste community.

In the affidavit submitted through Additional Advocate General (AAG) J Ravindran, the Collector informed the first bench of Acting Chief Justice T Raja and Justice D Krishnakumar that Velmurugan applied for an ST community certificate (Hindu Malaikuravan) for his son and daughters on September 20 and the Revenue Inspector (RI) conducted a field inspection on September 23.

“After verifications, VAO of Salamangalam village, RI of Padappai, zonal deputy tahsildar of Padappai, Kundrathur tahsildar and Sriperumbudur RDO, passed an order on September 26 rejecting the online application,” the Collector said.

Velmurugan’s father Kaliyamoorthy, a teacher at Meensurutti village, was originally from Ramadevanallur village in Ariyalur. “On perusal of Kaliyamoorthy’s service register, it is evident that his father belonged to the Hindu Scheduled Caste (Kuravan). But the petitioner applied for Scheduled Tribes (Malaikuravan),” she told the bench that took suo-motu cognizance of the suicide.

The official added that Velmurugan told the officials that his brother Elavarasan has a community certificate proclaiming his as ST.

Expressing their dissatisfaction that the government’s report did not reveal how they inquired Velmurugan’s neighbours and acquaintances for issuing the certificate, the bench ordered the authorities to verify the community of the deceased and submit a report in two weeks.

The officials were also asked to probe Elavarasan, the brother of the deceased.