
PUDUKKOTTAI: The Vengaivayal case has been transferred from the special court for trial of cases under the SC & ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Pudukkottai, to the Judicial Magistrate Court in the district.
The case pertains to the discovery of human excreta in an overhead water tank used by Dalit residents in the village on December 26, 2022.
Following a probe, the CB-CID last month submitted its report to the SC/ST court in Pudukkottai, charging three individuals from the same locality as accused. However, a petition by Kanagaraj, a member of the SC community, challenging the report, saying he was not informed before the case was removed from the purview of the SC/ST (PoA) Act.
Simultaneously, the CB-CID also submitted a petition requesting that the case be moved to a Judicial Magistrate Court as the accused belonged to the same community as the victims, making the SC/ST Act inapplicable. On Saturday, Judge G M Vasanthi of the Special Court for SC/ST Atrocities reserved the verdict for Monday, dismissed Kanagaraj’s plea and accepted the CB-CID’s chargesheet.
Public Prosecutor K N Kumar said, “Based on the documents and arguments submitted by the CB-CID, the court ruled that the case does not fall under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. Consequently, all further proceedings, including the filing of chargesheets and summoning of the accused, will be given to them. Thereby the proceedings as per the order will take place at the Pudukkottai Judicial Magistrate Court-2.”
According to the CB-CID report, three individuals were behind the polluting of the water tank and they did so due to enmity with Muthaiya, the husband of Muthukadu Panchayat President Padmavathi.