Family members during the funeral of people who died after consumption of spurious liquor, in Kallakurichi district, Thursday, June 20, 2024.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Chennai: In a setback to the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government, the Madras High Court on Wednesday transferred the probe into Kallakurichi hooch tragedy that claimed the lives of 68 people to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The case is currently being probed by Tamil Nadu police’s Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID).
A division bench of justices D Krishnakumar and P B Balaji passed the orders on a batch of petitions filed by functionaries of Opposition parties, the AIADMK, PMK, DMDK and BJP. The petitioners had demanded a CBI probe into the hooch tragedy that took place on June 19, leading to the deaths of 68 people, all labourers and their family members, expressing no confidence in the investigation by the CB-CID.
The judges transferred the case to CBI after contending that it was a serious matter as 68 lives had been lost due to consumption of illicit liquor. Justice Balaji, in a separate but concurrent judgment, said that the sale of spurious liquor seems to have happened right under the nose of the police, who chose to turn a blind eye.
The incident sent a shockwave across Tamil Nadu prompting the state government to bring amendments to relevant laws to give stringent punishment to those who brew and sell illicit liquor.
As it came under attack from the Opposition over the deaths due to spurious liquor, the government swung into control the damage by transferring district collector Sravan Kumar Jatavath and place superintendent of police Samay Singh Meena under suspension.
Chief Minister M K Stalin, while promising strict action against the accused, had announced a solatium of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of the victim.
Stalin had also announced constitution of a one-man commission headed by retired justice B Gokuldoss to go into tragedy and submit a detailed report, while then Home Secretary P Amudha and Director General of Police Shankar Jiwal submitted an interim report.
Mixing ethanol with liquor is understood to have been the cause of the deaths.