Madras HC transfers Armstrong murder to CBI
The court directed the central agency to probe the matter expeditiously and file the chargesheet within six months.;
BSP Tamil Nadu chief K Armstrong
CHENNAI: Rejecting vehement objections by the police that probed the murder of BSP Tamil Nadu unit president K Armstrong, and even ignoring his widow’s submission that she was satisfied with the ongoing investigation, the Madras High Court transferred the inquiry to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The court directed the central agency to probe the matter expeditiously and file the chargesheet within six months.
The Dalit leader was hacked to death by a gang in Perambur on July 5, 2024, and the Sembium police that registered the case arrested 27 people, including notorious criminals P Nagendran and Ponnai Balu.
The investigation team had filed a chargesheet running to more than 7,000 pages in the Principal Sessions Court.
However, not satisfied with the progress of the investigation, Armstrong’s brother, K Immanuvel alias Keynos Armstrong filed a petition before the High Court alleging that the police were not inquiring properly due to political interference, and sought a CBI probe.
In response, the police denied the allegation that the murder was the result of political rivalry and claimed that it was a revenge attack following the killing of Arcot Suresh. The police also added that Armstrong’s widow, Porkodi, expressed satisfaction with their investigation.
According to reports, Justice P Velmurugan pointed out a key contention raised by Armstrong’s brother that the police did not hold an identification parade, though his brother Veeramani, who sustained injuries in the attack, and other eyewitnesses said they would be able to identify the attackers.
The police relied on CCTV footage instead and noted that the images of the accused were widely published in the media, which did not impress the court.
After hearing both sides, and making clear his displeasure over the investigation process, Justice Velmurugan had reserved orders on July 28. In the order, the court directed the police to hand over all documents related to the case to the CBI and asked the central agency to complete the investigation and file a charge sheet within six months.