Upset HC shifts DSP suicide case to CBI

The Division bench comprising Justice Huluvadi G Ramesh and Justice V Muralidharan, noting that it was not satisfied the way in which CBCID had carried out the investigation so far, transferred the probe to CBI. 27-year-old Vishnu Priya, who was the then DSP of Tiruchengode in Namakkal district, was found hanging in her residence on September 18 last year.

Initially, the case was investigated by the State police and later transferred to the CB-CID by the State government. Vishnu Priya’s father, alleging murder, had moved the High Court submitting that there was no scope for a free and fair probe by the CBCID as the Superintendent of Police has control over the agency. 

A single judge of the High Court had dismissed the plea following which he moved the present appeal. The case had shot into limelight after Vishnu Priya’s father Ravi had levelled charges of harassment by her superiors in connection with a case related to the murder of the Dalit youth V Gokulraj, being probed by her. 

Police had however rejected the charge, saying the recovered “suicide note” running into 16 pages had not mentioned anything about harassment. However, during the demand for CBI probe, Senior Counsel P Wilson appearing on behalf of Vishnu Priya’s father had submitted that the government was not taking the matter very seriously, particularly when two senior police officers were allegedly behind her death and that they were still at the helm of affairs.  Vishnu