CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea seeking a CBI probe into the enrolment of AG Perarivalan as an advocate, observing that no material had been placed to justify such an investigation and the petitioner was not pressing for the relief.
The Bench comprising Chief Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan orally observed, "Where is the fraud to order a CBI probe? Do you know in what cases the CBI can be asked to conduct an investigation? The Supreme Court has said that such orders can be passed only in rare cases. The enrolment follows the provisions. Nothing explains why a CBI probe is required. I think it is not required."
Perarivalan, who was convicted in the assassination case of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and released by the Supreme Court in 2022, enrolled as an advocate on April 27 this year. Opposing the enrolment, Mayiladuthurai constituency Congress MP R Sudha filed a petition before the High Court seeking to declare the enrolment illegal and void.
Perarivalan, having been convicted for acts of terrorism, has now been enrolled in the rolls as an advocate, and the Bar Council election vote counting has been under way since April 4, noted the plea. In such circumstances, the undue urgency shown in enrolling Perarivalan is completely bewildering and suspicious, the plea said.
The plea sought a direction to the CBI to conduct an investigation into the manner in which Perarivalan was enrolled as an advocate, and to pass an interim order suspending his enrolment as an advocate.
The Court directed the respondents, excluding the CBI, namely the Union Home Department, the Department of Legal Affairs, the Bar Council of India, the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, and AG Perarivalan, to file their counters in the matter.