MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Friday directed the State government to hand over the probe into the Paramakudi firing incident to the CBI. Issuing directions to the State government to hand over the entire case records and the complaints received from the families of the deceased and the injured persons to the Joint Director (JD) of CBI, the Bench stated that the JD shall nominate a competent official from the agency to investigate the case on the basis of all the records available, under the supervision of a top CBI official. A total of 11 petitions were filed by politicians, including VCK Chief Thol Thirumavalavan and Guruvijayan, State Executive Committee Member of BSP, outfits like Tamil Nadu Untouchability Erad-ication Front and several advocates.Meanwhile, the Bench dismissed the petition filed by an advocate seeking the suspension of the police officers who were involved in the firing incident, that claimed the lives of six Dalits in Paramak-udi on September 11, 2011.Advocate Pugalenthi, in his petition, alleged that the failure of the State, the district administration of Ramanathapuram and police officials to act in accordance with the provisions of the SC & ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, could be the sole reason for the murder of a young Dalit boy from Pachery village. He alleged that the police officials opened fire at the victims without any provocation. Therefore, he requested the judges to order the suspension of the District Collector of Ramanathapuram, Inspector General of Police (South Zone), DIG of Police, Ramanathapuram, Ramanathap-uram SP, Paramakudi Tahsildar, Paramakudi DSP and Inspector of Police of Paramakudi, so that the witnesses could depose before the inquiry commission in a free manner.However, the judges noted that the police had taken sufficient measures by arresting Caste Hindus from Pachery immediately after the murder of the Dalit boy and had also taken preventive measures and so were not liable to be suspended.On the contention of the State advocates and the counsels for the respondents that the writ petitions were not maintainable since none of the aggrieved persons had filed the petitions, the judges said, “It is needless to state that the petitioners can raise their voice to protect the interest of the oppressed sections as it is their fundamental right to fight for their cause”.The Bench also refrained from passing further orders on the petitions seeking enhanced compensation for the families of the victims, since, according to the Advocate General’s earlier statement in the court, the State government had increased the compensation to Rs 4 lakh in addition to the Rs 1 lakh already provided.
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