Vengaivayal issue: Madras High Court questions slow pace of probe, inability to nab culprits
As many as 221 witnesses have allegedly been examined so far and none of them is able to disclose any material facts related to the accused persons or the offence.
Published: 15th September 2023 08:27 AM | Last Updated: 15th September 2023 08:27 AM | A+A A-
Though 221 witnesses have been examined, none disclosed any material facts on accused | File pic
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has questioned the slow pace of investigations carried out by the Crime Branch- CID (CB-CID) and the long delay in nabbing the culprits in the contamination of potable water with faecal matter at Vengaivayal village in Pudukottai district.
The first bench of Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice PD Audikesavalu asked why the culprits could not be arrested even after such a long time. The bench also said the interim report of the one-man commission headed by Justice M Sathyanarayanan has indicated the slow pace of investigations by the CB-CID.
Additional Advocate General (AAG) J Ravindran filed the interim report on the findings of the commission, set up by the High Court on March 29, 2023, based on two public interest litigation (PIL) petitions, in the court in a sealed cover.
A status report on the investigations by the CB-CID was also submitted to the court. As many as 221 witnesses have allegedly been examined so far and none of them is able to disclose any material facts related to the accused persons or the offence. No one has been arrested till date, the report stated, adding the possibilities of outside elements have also been investigated, apart from several angles including political, communal and personal motives.
The report also said the DNA analysis report of all 25 persons revealed that they were excluded as a possible contributor to the mixed DNA profile of turbid liquid with sediments. The contamination of water in the overhead tank came to light in December 2022 after a few persons developed vomiting and fever.
