One more public interest litigation (PIL) petition has been filed in the Madras High Court seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy that has so far claimed 58 lives and left many others hospitalised.
The new PIL petition has been listed for admission before the first Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice R. Mahadevan and Justice Mohammed Shaffiq on Tuesday. Pattali Makkal Katchi advocate K. Balu had filed the latest case in his capacity as president of Advocates Forum for Social Justice.
Already, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) legal wing secretary I.S. Inbadurai had filed a similar PIL petition seeking a CBI probe into the tragedy and in that case, the court had last week directed the State government to file a detailed action taken report by June 25.
In an affidavit filed in support of his plea, Mr. Balu said, the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) had so far made 10 arrests regarding the Kallakurichi tragedy and the accused had reported to have procured the raw materials for spurious liquor from Puducherry, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Since the investigation into the case had to be carried out in other States too, it would be possible only if the probe was handed over either to a SIT or the CBI, the petitioner claimed. He also accused the district administration of having initially attempted to brush things under the carpet.
The petitioner said, when the first death was reported in Kallakurichi, the then Collector Sravan Kumar Jatavath (since transferred) had denied reports of the person having died due to spurious liquor. “This misinformation resulted in more individuals consuming the illicit arrack leading to additional deaths,” he charged.
Also claiming that the district administration as well as the police had attempted to cover up the entire issue at the instance of the Ministers and Members of the Legislative Assembly belonging to the ruling party, the petitioner said, it was also a reason for seeking a CBI/SIT probe into the issue.
