Moved Supreme Court to speed up justice for Kallakurichi hooch victims, says TN law minister

CHENNAI: Accusing Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami of cheaply politicising the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy deaths, State Law Minister S Regupathy on Thursday justified that the State government moved an appeal before the Supreme Court against the Madras High Court order in the probe to secure justice for the victims expeditiously.

Arguing that the Madras HC order transferring the hooch tragedy probe to the CBI would delay the case progress, Regupathy, in a message posted on his social media handle, said, "Palaniswami is not concerned about the victims getting justice expeditiously. He is engaging in cheap politics by exploiting the hooch tragedy deaths."

Registering his strong condemnation against the EPS for 'cheaply' politicising the appeal moved by the state government, the law minister said that it was farcical that Palaniswami, who obtained a stay in the SC against a CBI probe into the corruption case against him, was demanding a CBI probe now.

Referring to the arrest of 24 persons, including the detention of 17 of them under the Goondas Act in the hooch tragedy case, minister Regupathy said that the final charge sheet was being filed after an expeditious investigation.

The order issued by the Madras HC in the interim, transferring the case to CBI, would delay the progress of the case, the minister said, and added, "CBI probe will further delay justice to victims. There are many proofs for that. The Tamil Nadu government has moved an appeal before the SC against the HC only to expeditiously get justice to the victims."