MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, during a vacation sitting on Wednesday, transferred an investigation from district police to the CB-CID in the case where cow dung was found mixed in an overhead water tank at a village in Pudukkottai district.
A division bench of Justices P Velmurugan and K Rajasekar issued the directions while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition filed by one Shanmugam, who claimed that the incident occurred at Sangamviduthi village, which consists of scheduled caste members.
The court issued notices to tea shops, where the petitioner claimed that the system of using different tumblers prevailed in the district. The court also directed the CB-CID to file a report over the cow dung issue on June 4.
In a petition, Shanmugam submitted that while the case of mixing of human faeces in a drinking water tank at Vengaivayal village in Pudukkottai district is yet to be cracked, another incident of water contamination in an overhead water tank was reported in the village on April 25.
Since there was no proper investigation by the district police, it is necessary to transfer the investigation to the CB-CID, the petitioner stated.
He also mentioned that in many villages in Pudukkottai, untouchability and other forms of discrimination are being practised against members of the scheduled castes. Shanmugam also submitted a list of tea shops where such discrimination was being practised.
Hearing the submissions from the counsels, the high court issued the aforementioned directives and adjourned the case to June 5.