HC stays TN govt order transferring idol theft cases to CBI

The Madras High Court today stayed a Tamil Nadu government order transferring all idol theft cases in the state to the CBI, lambasting it for its "hurried" action when the matter was already pending before the court.

A division bench of justices R Mahadevan and P D Audikesavalu stayed the August 1 government order transferring the cases to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

It passed the interim order on a petition by advocate Elephant Rajendran seeking quashing of the G.O.

The court issued notice to the state government and posted the matter to tomorrow for further hearing.

Earlier, the bench questioned the urgency in passing the G.O a day after the government had informed the court that it had taken a policy decision to order the CBI probe.

On August 1, the state government informed the High Court that it had taken a policy decision to hand over all idol theft cases to the CBI as the idol wing, headed by IG Pon Manickavel, was "not performing satisfactorily."