DMK asks Guv to ease out CM for "fair" Kodanad estate probe

The main opposition party demanded probe by a Special Investigation Team, comprising officers of the rank of Inspector General of Police and further investigation into the "mysterious death" of alleged key conspirator Kanagaraj.

The related case is before the District and Sessions Judge, Nilgiris.

The DMK urged Purohit to "immediately, direct Chief Minister K Palaniswami, to demit the office to pave the way for a fair and impartial investigation into the matter."

On January 11, a former magazine editor Samuel Mathew had released a 16-minute video clip in Delhi, alleging that Palaniswami had links to a break-in at Kodanad estate in 2017.

Palaniswami, refuting the allegations, had said on Saturday that those who were unable to take on AIADMK politically were resorting to such cheap acts and asserted that a probe would expose their identity.

In a memorandum to Purohit, party chief MK Stalin urged him to place the facts related to the Kodanad matter before President Ram Nath Kovind for necessary Constitutional measures.

"The Governor listened with rapt attention, went through our memorandum in detail and assured us that he would do whatever action was possible from his end," Stalin told reporters after calling on Purohit at the Raj Bhavan here.

In case the Governor does not act on the memorandum, the DMK would approach the President and was ready to pursue legal measures, Stalin said.

The Kodanad estate in the hilly Nilgiris District was used by the late J Jayalalithaa for both official and residential purposes during her tenure as Chief Minister.

On Palaniswami's remark that the episode was a politically motivated attempt by "somebody" who was acting from behind the scenes and that their identity would be exposed after the police probe, Stalin said "there is no need for anyone to act from behind."

The DMK chief said he was openly talking about the issue and also does not feel that somebody was pulling the strings from behind.

"The nation knows well that Kodanad bungalow had functioned as the camp office of late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa where even government related files had been there," he said.

On April 23, 2017 late night, a group of men, including prime accused Kanagaraj -who later died in a road mishapbarged into the Kodanad Estate after assaulting two guards. One of them, identified as Om Bahadur, died.

They had smashed the bungalow's window panes and searched three rooms and finding no expensive articles and money, decamped with ornamental things and watches.

Two suspects in the case, K V Sayan and Valayar Manoj had levelled the charge (which was dismissed as false and defamatory by the AIADMK as well), linking Palaniswami to the break in the clip that was released in Delhi.

Kanakaraj, days after the break in had died in a road mishap on April 28, 2017 and Chief Minister Palaniswami had told the Assembly in 2017 July that there was no suspicion about that accident based on the police "probe done so far."

There was no doubt as well in regard to another road accident at Kerala the next day (April 29, 2017) involving another suspect Sayan, he had said. In that mishap, while Sayan survived, his wife and child died.

According to the DMK petition and Samuel, a man who had worked at the estate had allegedly committed suicide in July, 2017.