HC forms SIT to probe 2012 Ramajeyam murder case

Nearly ten years after the incident and five years after the CBI failed to make any breakthrough in the case, the Madras High Court on Wednesday constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the 2012 murder of KN Ramajeyam, who is the brother of Tamil Nadu Municipal Administration Minister KN Nehru.

On a plea by the family members of the deceased for the constitution of an SIT as the CBI could not make any breakthrough since 2017, Justice V Bharathidasan passed the orders constituting the SIT probe team.

The judge ordered that the SIT will consist of Thoothukudi District Superintendent of Police S Jeyakumar, Ariyalur District Deputy Superintendent of Police Madan and CBI Deputy Superintendent R Ravi.

The judge also directed the CBI Director to depute Ravi exclusively for the murder investigation and not transfer him without court orders.

The judge also ordered that CB-CID DGP Mohammed Shakeel Akhtar to monitor the investigation, while directing the State government to provide all necessary accommodation and infrastructure to the SIT.

The SIT was directed to begin the investigation as early as possible after a briefing by the CBI DSP regarding the investigation conducted so far.

Stating that the probe could preferably begin before February 21, the judge said a status report on the investigation should be filed once in 15 days and the first report should be filed on or before March 21.

The court also said that it would monitor the probe conducted by the SIT and directed the High Court Registry to place the case before Acting Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari for deciding on the administrative side so that the case could continue to be listed before

Justice Bharathidasan at the request of the counsel for the petitioner, as well as the State Public Prosecutor.

The body of Ramajeyam, a businessman dealing with granite mining, real estate and exports, was found on the banks of the Cauvery near Thiruvalarsolai on the outskirts of Tiruchi on March 29, 2012.

Ramajeyam was kidnapped during his morning walk and murdered by unidentified persons. Initially, the probe was transferred from the district police to the CB-CID wing of the State police, which could not make any headway in the case till 2017, when it was transferred to the CBI on a petition filed by deceased wife Latha Ramajeyam.