Madras High Court Criticizes CBI Over 2018 Tuticorin Firing Probe

The Madras High Court criticized the CBI's handling of the investigation into the 2018 Tuticorin police firing, which killed 13 anti-Sterlite protesters. The court suggested the firing was premeditated and influenced by an industrialist. The ruling comes after a petition urged the reopening of the case, calling for a probe into officers' assets.

The Madras High Court has strongly criticized the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for its inadequate handling of the probe into the 2018 Tuticorin police firing incident, which resulted in the deaths of 13 anti-Sterlite protestors.

Highlighting concerns over the fairness of the investigation, the court remarked, 'we believe that the police firing was a predetermined act carried out at the behest of an industrialist.'

A division bench, comprising Justices S S Sundar and Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, made these observations while hearing a petition from social activist Henri Tiphagne, who sought to reopen the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) closed inquiry into the incident. The bench has also directed the state Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to investigate the assets of all officers, including IPS and IAS officers, who were stationed in the southern district at the time. In May 2018, police had opened fire on protestors in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin district amidst a violent anti-Sterlite agitation, leading to 13 fatalities. The demonstrators were campaigning for the shutdown of the copper smelter unit due to pollution issues.

(With inputs from agencies.)