PUDUKKOTTAI: The special court for trial of cases under the SC/ST (PoA) Act on Saturday adjourned the hearing on a petition challenging the CB-CID’s chargesheet in the Vengaivayal water contamination case until February 3.
The chargesheet submitted last month by the CB-CID to the special court in the December 2022 case held three residents responsible for mixing faecal matter in the village overhead tank supplying potable water to the locality.
Kanagaraj, based on whose complaint the case was registered, recently filed a petition seeking the court not to accept the chargesheet as he argued that the CB-CID had submitted it without informing him and without recording his statement. He also said that he was not informed of the removal of charges under the SC/ST (PoA) Act against the accused in the case.
During the hearing on Saturday afternoon, senior advocate PP Mohan, representing Kanagaraj, argued before court that the CB-CID was obligated to provide a free copy of the chargesheet to the complainant. To this, public prosecutor KN Kumar appearing for the CB-CID replied that the complainant failed to appear before the investigating agency for questioning despite multiple summons having been issued to him.
Meanwhile, the protest by a section of residents of Vengaivayal against the CB-CID charge sheet, which was suspended for two days over the death of an elderly woman villager, resumed on Saturday.