Petitions seeking CBI probe, restoring internet rejected

Initially, advocate A P Surya Prakasam made a mention about the police firing before vacation judge Bhavani Subbarayan, pointing out that the protestors were shot above the abdomen and sought a CBI inquiry to prevent the state police from destroying evidence. 

However, the judge noted that she did not have the jurisdiction, and directed the petitioner to approach the Madurai bench, the jurisdictional court, or the chief justice. 

When the judge commenced the hearing in the afternoon, Additional Advocate General Narmadha Sampath obtained a clarification from her about any orders being passed on the plea, wherein the judge reiterated her stated position. 

Similarly, immediately after the division bench comprising Justice T Ravindran and Justice P Velmurugan commenced the special sitting to hear the affidavit against the direction to the state to preserve the bodies of the firing victims, mentions were made about the suspension of internet services in Thoothukudi and neighbouring districts and sought for a direction on this. But the bench refused to entertain it. 

Following this, the advocates rushed to Justice Bhavani Subbarayan’s court seeking for an urgent hearing of the issue as it has affected dependent services like banking, train ticket booking, hospital services, online examinations and school and college admissions. However, the judge refused to entertain the plea citing jurisdictional issue.