All are equal before law, says Jayakumar on prof row

To a specific question on whether the Governor could be subjected to CB-CID inquiry, the minister said, “The numbers in the mobile phones of Nirmala Devi had been obtained and the CBCID police will go into the conversations. I need not specify the names involved. But, before the law, both the ruler and citizen are equal. The enquiry will bring out all truths.” 

Speaking to the media here, the minister said the government had no objection to a CBI enquiry into the Nirmala Devi case, but added that the state police itself is capable of bringing out the truth. “The panel set up by the Governor will not overlap with the CB-CID enquiry. The police have already arrested Nirmala Devi and she is in police custody,” he said.

The minister also said the Governor had the power to form a panel to enquire into the case since he is the Chancellor of all the universities. 

However, Jayakumar declined to comment on the Governor patting a woman journalist’s cheeks. 

When asked about BJP national secretary H Raja’s derogatory remarks on DMK Rajya Sabha MP Kanmozhi, the minister said in such instances, the aggrieved party could take up the matter legally. On DMK working president M K Stalin’s demand for a CBI investigation, Jayakumar cited two instances during the DMK regime when the then government did not accept the demand for a CBI probe. There were several instances in the past when both the DMK and AIADMK governments had not agreed to demand for CBI probe and ordered a CB-CID probe, he said.

The minister was responding to allegations of conspiracy to destroy evidence in the Nirmala Devi case. PMK founder S Ramadoss had asked why the Governor called a press meet when no one directly charged him and added Purohit’s remarks had created suspicion. 

The demand to recall the Governor had grown louder with parties taking out rallies and holding protest demonstrations. Thamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi leader T Velmurugan who held a rally on Wednesday towards the Raj Bhavan demanded that the Centre recall the Governor and the state government cancel all the appointments made by him.