Bench transfers murder case to CBI

Irked by lack of progress in the CB-CID investigation into the murder of a 15-year old girl in 2011, the Madras High Court bench today transferred the case to CBI.
Justice C T Selvam ordered transfer of the case to CBI on a petition by K Kalaikumar, the father of the victim who was found dead under mysterious circumstances at her residence in Pudukottai in 2011.
Kalaikumar, headmaster of a government higher secondary school in Pudukottai, submitted he had left for work along with his wife on March 9, 2011, leaving behind his daughter and her five-year-old brother.
They rushed home after receiving a phone call and found their daughter hanging from a fan with several stab injuries and 25 sovereigns of gold jewellery missing from the home.

He filed a complaint with police and his son, a witness to his sister's death, identified two sons of former DMK MLA Kavithaipithan as the murderers, the petitioner claimed.
However, police did not make any progress on receiving the complaint against the three persons due to political pressure, he alleged.

Then the High Court bench ordered transfer of the case to CB-CID for investigation. However he moved the court again, claiming there was no progress in the CB-CID investigation.
The inspector of CB-CID, Tiruchi, in his counter, said he had submitted a status quo report and sought six months to complete the probe. So far, 130 witnesses had been examined and fingerprints of 40 suspects collected and sent for matching with the two fingerprints lifted from the crime scene, he said.

The former MLA's sons are also suspects in the case and two other persons were arrested, he added.
The Judge, after hearing both parties, said progress of investigation by CB-CID was not sufficient and transferred the investigation to CBI.