Tamil Nadu moves Supreme Court against CBI order in Sterlite firing
The court had pointed out that a peaceful protest against the plant had turned violent only on the 100th day of the agitation.
New Delhi: The Tamil Nadu government has moved the Supreme Court challenging a judgment of the Madras High Court ordering a CBI probe into the Thoothukudi firing incident during the Sterlite agitations resulting in the death of 13 persons and injuries to several others on May 22 and 23.
Justifying its decision, the High Court in its August 14 verdict had said “Were incidents (of violence and firing) orchestrated and if so, by whom is to be looked into,” the judges added.
“Providing reasons for their decision, the court said there were several questions that cry for answers with respect to the police firing, and yet the State had not answered them satisfactorily. Were incidents (of violence and firing) orchestrated and if so, by whom is to be looked into.”
The court had pointed out that a peaceful protest against the plant had turned violent only on the 100th day of the agitation. Then the Collector clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure following definite input regarding infiltration of anti-social elements.
Despite issuing such orders, "the absence of the Collector in Thoothukudi on the day of violence is rather unusual. It also quashed the detention of agitators under the National Security Act.
Assailing this verdict, the SLP said the High Court had committed a grave error in ordering a CBI probe when the State said it had directed a probe into the circumstances leading to the police firing.