Vital clues obtained in Mugilan case: CB-CID

A division bench comprising Justice M M Sundaresh and Justice M Nirmal Kumar before whom the habeas corpus plea moved seeking to produce Mugilan came up, the counsel appearing for CB-CID on noting that the probe was heading in the right direction and hence revealing details of the same at this stage could end up thwarting the entire investigation process, sought for more time.

Following this, the bench on perusing the report, conceded to the submission of Additional Public Prosecutor R Prathap Kumar that vital clues could not be made public since it would affect the investigation, adjourned the plea to three weeks for the CB-CID to file a further report.

Earlier, advocate Sudha Ramalingam appearing for the petitioner Henry Tiphagne who moved the habeas corpus plea, submitted that over 100 days have lapsed since Mugilan had gone missing with the police yet to reveal an iota of information regards his whereabouts. She said the anti-Sterlite activist going missing immediately after holding a press conference in which he castigated top police officials for the violence and firing thereafter only gave room for doubts of foul play in Mugilan remaining untraceable.

The habeas corpus plea had contended that Mugilan alias Shanmugam, who was the coordinator of the Tamil Nadu Environment Protection Movement spearheading the anti-Sterlite movement, had researched on the reasons behind the May 22 Tuticorin firing in which 13 anti-Sterlite protesters were killed.

Based on the evidence and documents he had gathered, he conducted a press meet in Chennai on February 15, wherein he had demonstrated the involvement of higher police officers in the firing. He had named the then Inspector General for South Range Shailesh Kumar Yadav and Deputy inspector General of Police, Tirunelveli, Kapil Kumar Saratkar for allegedly creating a situation that led to the police firing.

Later he boarded a train from Egmore Railway Station to Madurai but did not reach the destination. Alleging that police had failed to act on a missing complaint seeking to investigate his disappearance, the habeas corpus plea was moved.