There should be a CBI inquiry into the Kallakurichi liquor case: Petition

CHENNAI: With spurious liquor snuffing out lives of poor people because of the state police’s inability to plug the illegal supply of methanol, the public have lost their faith in the CB-CID and, therefore, a CBI probe is must, argued the counsel of petitioners seeking CBI probe into the

The submissions were made before the first bench of Acting Chief Justice D Krishnakumar and Justice PB Balaji on Tuesday when a batch of public interest litigation petitions regarding the tragedy came up for hearing.

Senior counsel V Raghavachari, appearing for AIADMK legal wing secretary IS Inbadurai, submitted that loss of lives due to spurious liquor is happening every year but the police are not able to nab the real culprits.

Recalling the deaths that occurred in Villupuram district last year, he said if the police had conducted proper investigations and stopped smuggling of methanol into the state, the lives of 68 people in Kallakurichi could have been saved.

Raghavachari expressed anguish over the alleged failure of the police to find out the source of methanol supply. Responding to him, Advocate General PS Raman informed the court that the investigating agency has found the source of supply of methanol and arrested further supply.

In his submissions, senior advocate NL Rajah pressed for a CBI investigation since an inter-state network is involved in supply of methanol.

He questioned the rationale behind reinstating suspended Kallakurichi SP Samay Singh Meena. The court adjourned the hearing to August 21.