Kallakurichi spurious liquor deaths | Madras High Court to hear on June 21, plea for CBI probe

Madras High Court to hear PILs seeking CBI probe into Kallakurichi liquor tragedy on June 21, 2024.

The Madras High Court has decided to hear on Friday, June 21, 2024, two public interest litigations seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Kallakurichi spurious liquor tragedy that has so far claimed over 30 lives and left many others hospitalised.

Since Acting Chief Justice R. Mahadevan is sitting at the Madurai Bench this week, two advocates on Thursday, June 20, asked for an urgent hearing of their cases before a Division Bench of Justices D. Krishnakumar and K. Kumaresh Babu in the principal seat of the High Court in Chennai.

Advocate D. Selvam and I.S. Inbadurai of the AIADMK said the death toll at Karunapuram in Kallakurichi district had been increasing drastically and this was a serious issue that required an immediate investigation by the Central agency.

On the other hand, Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) R. Muniyapparaj told the Division Bench that the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) had taken up the investigation and that the Collector as well as the Superintendent of Police had been transferred and suspended respectively.

Since the PIL petitions were yet to be numbered and placed before them, the judges asked the APP to come prepared with written instructions on Friday by when the Registry was directed to number the two petitions, if they were otherwise in order, and list them for hearing.