The Madras High Court on Friday, June 21, 2024, wanted the Tamil Nadu government to explain how the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy, that had so far claimed 47 lives, was allowed to happen despite 22 deaths reported due to consumption of spurious liquor at Marakkanam in Villupuram district and in Chengalpattu district last year.
Justices D. Krishnakumar and K. Kumaresh Babu wondered whether any lessons were learnt from the previous incidents and any preventive action was taken to avert such incidents. The questions were raised during the hearing of a plea for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Kallakurichi tragedy.
The AIADMK’s legal wing secretary I.S. Inbadurai had filed the plea in public interest. His counsel, D. Selvam accused the State government of inaction despite a specific motion moved by AIADMK Kallakurichi MLA M. Senthilkumar on March 29, 2023 regarding the sale of spurious liquor.
Justice Kumar asked Advocate General P.S. Raman to ensure that a detailed action report was filed in court by June 26. It must list out the measures that were taken by the State pursuant to the motion moved by the Member of the Legislative Assembly in the House and the deaths that took place last year.
Justice Babu told the A-G that he remembered reading a news report regarding sale of spurious liquor in Kallakurichi, much before the present tragedy, and that some YouTube channels too, had aired specific details regarding these illegal sales taking place blatantly across the State with the connivance of officials.
In reply, the A-G said, the investigation regarding the Marakkanam and Chengalpattu deaths was transferred to the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) after which several individuals were arrested and some of them were detained under the Goondas Act. Action was taken against police personnel too.
He brought it to the notice of the court that the Kallakurchi Collector was transferred and the Superintendent of Police was suspended after the tragedy and that the Additional Director General of Police as well as the Superintendent of Police in the Enforcement Bureau CID had been trasferred.
Stating that the government had also appointed a one-man commission headed by retired High Court judge B. Gokuldas to conduct an inquiry into the Kallakurichi tragedy, the A-G said, the commission was also expected to give its recommendations on the steps required to be taken to prevent such incidents in the future.
He said, the government had posted 162 doctors to treat the patients at Kallakurichi at present and that 89 of them were found to be stable. Since he also reported that a little more than 20 patients were in critical condition, the judges directed the State to provide the best possible medical care to them.
The judges said, a final decision on the plea for a CBI probe would be taken after the State government files a detailed counter affidavit to the present public interest litigation petition and also an action taken report, by June 29, listing out the preventive steps that were taken pursuant to last year’s hooch tragedies.
